TRANSPORT

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to promote research into carbon-neutral aviation technology.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport is active in the international working group developing a certification standard for CO2 emissions from aircraft, it funds analytical research, working closely with Rolls Royce and Airbus, and also works with the Sustainable Aviation initiative, a consortium of aviation industry partners. I particularly welcome their current work to develop a ‘roadmap’ on how biofuels can be more widely deployed in the sector.
	In addition to the steps above, my colleague the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has launched the government's Industrial Strategy. In the Aerospace Industrial Strategy the Government and industry are jointly investing £2 billion over seven years in aerospace research and development. An Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) will be established to develop new technology and capability for the UK aerospace industry. It is likely to support many projects to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
	Previous research supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Technology Strategy Board—such as the Environmentally Friendly Engine programme, the SILOET programme with Rolls Royce, and the Next Generation Carbon Wing project with Airbus UK—has already led to more fuel efficient aircraft and a real reduction in carbon emissions.

Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date;
	(2)  if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to projects located within (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Stephen Hammond: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis 2013.
	Identifiable expenditure on transport in the south-east region for the last three years is reproduced in the following table. Equivalent data are not available below regional level.
	
		
			 Table A.8e: Identifiable expenditure on economic affairs (of which: Transport) by country and region, 2010-11 to 2012-13 
			 £ million 
			 National Statistics 2010-11 outturn 2011-12 outturn 2012-13 outturn 
			 South East 2,037 1,764 1,782 
			  of which: current   
			 South East 789 702 727 
			  of which: capital   
			 South East 1,248 1,061 1,054

Bus Services: Disability

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 to include audio visual announcements.

Stephen Hammond: We currently have no plans to make audio visual systems mandatory as the business case for bus operators has not been demonstrated and the Government are unwilling to impose financial burdens of this kind on the industry in the current financial climate.
	However, my hon. Friend, the Minister of State will write to bus industry representatives shortly to encourage further development of more affordable audio-visual systems for buses.

Bus Services: Disability

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will create a fund specifically for audio visual technology on buses.

Stephen Hammond: We recognise that many people find audio and visual announcements useful for travelling and understand the social benefits of having such systems on buses.
	Our recent Accessibility Action plan progress report, published on 23 December 2013, included cost details for various audio/visual technical options and we will continue to work with bus industry stakeholders to identify the best solutions to improve access to the public transport system for all passengers.
	However, at this time there are no plans to introduce a specific fund to support the adaptation of buses.

Bus Services: Visual Impairment

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the accessibility of buses for blind and partially sighted people.

Stephen Hammond: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) outline specific requirements for the bus industry to ensure that buses are as accessible as possible for disabled passengers. These include facilities such as low-floor boarding systems, visual contrast on step edges, handholds and handrails and priority seats that can be of particular benefit to blind and partially sighted passengers.
	All new buses used on local or scheduled services to carry 22 passengers or more are required to be fully PSVAR compliant, and all buses will have to be compliant by 2015, 2016 and 2017, depending on the bus type.
	According to the Department's annual bus statistics (published in September 2013) 78% of the total bus fleet in England is now PSVAR compliant. We will continue to monitor compliance with the industry.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure the design of the proposed HS2 route within the designated landscape of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty meets all requirements under section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: As set out in the response to the 2011 consultation, ‘High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future—Decisions and Next Steps’ the Government consider that HS2 is consistent with section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the Christmas period on the ability of those affected to respond to the High Speed 2 Environmental Statement Consultation.

Robert Goodwill: The three days of public holiday over the Christmas and new year period are not considered to adversely affect the ability of people to respond to the ES consultation. In total there are 60 days in which to respond to the consultation.
	The ES is designed to be easily accessible which is why it includes a non-technical summary and the area reports and map books in volume 2 are split up into 26 Community Forum Areas (CFAs) so people can easily find the information relevant to their local area. There is no need to read the whole ES in order to make a considered response. The vast majority of individuals responding to the consultation will be interested in the effects on their local area. The relevant CFA and maps, some 300 pages, would provide this information.
	In addition, much of the information is already familiar to people having been contained in the draft ES, which was the subject of an eight-week consultation in 2013, to which 20,000 people responded.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what method those wishing to petition the High Speed 2 hybrid Bill must raise points in response to the environmental statement consultation.

Robert Goodwill: Responding to the consultation on the environmental statement and petitioning the hybrid Bill are distinct and unconnected. There is no requirement for those wishing to petition the hybrid Bill to respond to the environmental statement consultation. Those wishing to raise points in response to the consultation can do so by filling in the response form available on the following website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement
	and e-mailing it to:
	HS2PhaseOneBillES@dialoguebydesign.com
	or writing to:
	FREEPOST RTEC-AJUT-GGHH
	HS2 Phase One Bill Environmental Statement
	PO Box 70178
	London
	WC1A 9HS
	The rules and format for petitioning the hybrid Bill are set by Parliament. Petitions will not be accepted until the Bill has passed Second Reading, at which time a petitioning period will be set. Guidance on how to petition the Bill is available from Parliament’s website at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Commons-hybrid-Bill-Petitioning-Kit-2013-14.doc
	and a leaflet produced by Parliament has been distributed by HS2 Ltd to landowners along the proposed route of phase 1.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that those affected by High Speed 2 have enough information to respond to the environmental statement consultation.

Robert Goodwill: Every effort has been made to ensure that the environmental statement (ES) is accessible to interested parties. That is why the ES includes a non-technical summary and the area reports and map books in volume 2 are split up into 26 community forum areas (CFAs) so people can easily find the information relevant to their local area. The document is also fully searchable.
	A guide outlining the structure of the environmental statement is available which should help people identify which sections of the ES to read. It can be found on the HS2 Ltd and gov.uk website at the following link:
	http://assets.hs2.org.uk/sites/default/files/Understanding%20the%20Environmental%20Statement%20web.pdf
	In addition to ensuring that the documents are appropriately structured for easy navigation, every effort has also been made to ensure that the ES is available to interested parties. That is why, as well as being available online, the ES documents are also publically accessible at 31 local authority locations, 80 parish councils and 56 public libraries across the line of route for phase 1. Information about these locations is available on the HS2 Ltd website at the following link:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/hs2-phase-one-hybrid-bill/hybrid-bill?cfa_dropdown=826
	Members of the public are also entitled to one free hard copy of both the non-technical summary and volume 1 of the ES as well as a copy of one CFA report and map book. Those who wish to receive hard copies of any of the other documents that comprise the ES can order them from the HS2 Ltd website for a small fee.
	If any further questions on the ES arise, individuals can contact the HS2 Ltd public inquiries line on:
	HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk
	020 7944 4908

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the information contained in the High Speed 2 Environmental Statement; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the amount of information within the Environmental Statement Consultation on those wishing to respond.

Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd compiled the Environmental Statement (ES) for 18 months since the announcement of the route was made in February 2012. During this time, the information contained within it was peer reviewed by experts in their field to ensure it is of the highest quality. Whilst the ES contains much information, the amount of consultation that has taken place on the scheme has been extensive, as such those affected are in an informed position already. Furthermore, the ES is broken down into community forum areas to ensure that it is more readily accessible to people with an interest.

Motorways

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a trial of the new managed motorway all lanes running design standard will be conducted before implementation of these schemes.

Robert Goodwill: The Highways Agency is not undertaking a trial of the new all lane running design prior to the first scheme opening on the M25 in spring 2014.
	The Agency will monitor the operation of the scheme and has agreed procedures to effectively manage this section of the network.
	Smart motorways (formerly managed motorways) all lane running is a development of dynamic hard shoulder running which the Highways Agency has operated since 2006.
	When the first smart motorway scheme was introduced on the M42 J3a-7 in 2006 as a pilot scheme (known then as active traffic management - ATM), the Highways Agency undertook an extensive programme of performance monitoring.
	Using knowledge and expertise from seven years of smart motorways operation, the Highways Agency will monitor and evaluate the performance of the M25 scheme in a similar manner to the M42 pilot.

Rapid Transit Systems: Tees Valley

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is on a Tees Valley light rail system; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what feasibility studies have been carried out by (a) his Department and (b) contractors on (i) funding models for a Tees Valley light rail system and (ii) the technical and operational possibility of linking the existing Tyne and Wear Metro system with a future Tees Valley light rail system; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport recognises that light rail is popular with passengers, good for economic growth and good for reducing carbon, both key objectives of the coalition Government. Government funding for these types of schemes will, from 2015, be part of the Local Growth Fund and devolved to local enterprise partnerships.
	The Government do not provide direct support to promoters for development work on light rail systems. It would be for the relevant authority to undertake any feasibility studies at its own cost The Department published a report in September 2011 on light rail with the aim of helping to make this mode more cost-effective in the future. The report is available on the Department's website.

Transport: Birmingham

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to discuss a contingency on awarding building contracts to Chinese companies in discussions on Chinese financing of a transport link in Birmingham.

Stephen Hammond: There are no plans to discuss financing or building contracts of a transport link in Birmingham with Chinese companies.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by (a) Avon and Somerset Police and (b) Gloucestershire Police on policing the trial badger cull in 2013.

Damian Green: The Department has not yet received final costs from the relevant police forces. However, Avon and Somerset Constabulary estimate that their costs for the original six-week cull are likely to be in the region of £500,000.
	Gloucestershire Police estimate that their costs for the original six-week cull and the eight-week extension are likely to be in the region of £1.7 million.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has agreed to cover any additional costs incurred by the relevant police forces.

Domestic Violence: Homicide

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many homicide reviews have been carried out in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and in how many such cases was there evidence of domestic abuse or violence prior to such a homicide;
	(2)  what guidance has been given to police and crime commissioners on the priority that should be given to crimes involving domestic abuse or violence.

Norman Baker: holding answer 9 January 2014
	Since the introduction of Domestic Homicide Reviews in April 2011 we have had 169 notifications (75 notifications in the financial year 2011-12, and 94 notifications in the financial year 2012-13) that a review is being conducted.
	We do not centrally collate the information requested on how many of those cases showed evidence of prior domestic abuse in the relationship as it is difficult to isolate individual factors from the complex range of circumstances that precede a domestic homicide.
	However, according to the 2010/11 Crime Survey for England and Wales, 30% of the victims of partner abuse were victimised more than once in the last year (22% were victimised three or more times). However, as around a half (51%) of victims either chose not to answer this question or did not know how many times they had been victimised, this should be treated with caution.
	The coalition Government's approach to tackling domestic violence and abuse is set out in its Violence against Women and Girls Action Plan 2013. The Government recognise that domestic violence and abuse is not a problem that can be resolved with national action alone but one which requires concerted, joined-up working at a local level. That is why in August 2013, the Home Office published an information pack for Police and Crime Commissioners outlining the importance of tackling domestic violence and abuse, how to understand these issues better, and to prevent further violence.
	The Home Office also held an event for Police and Crime Commissioners in November 2013 to discuss the challenges involved in tackling sexual and domestic violence and how to galvanise an effective local response.

G4S

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the performance of G4S in delivering monitoring services of people subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigatory Measures order.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 January 2014
	Electronic monitoring of Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIM) subjects is provided through the Ministry of Justice's contract with G4S. While we cannot comment on the contract as a whole, the Home Office has seen no evidence that G4S has not been performing to agreed standards with respect to the electronic monitoring of TPIM subjects.

Immigration Controls: Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she anticipates that agreement will be reached between her Department, Eurostar and the authorities in Belgium and France to resolve border control problems that have arisen as a result of intra- and extra-Schengen ticket abuse.

Mark Harper: On 18 November, with the agreement of the authorities in the UK, France and Belgium, Eurostar introduced a system of designated carriages for international and intra-Schengen passengers with separated boarding and disembarkation as a secure, long-term measure to manage the problem of intra-Schengen ticket abuse.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government is taking to promote public confidence in the Independent Police Complaints Commission; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government is promoting confidence in the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) by strengthening its powers and giving it further resources.
	New powers for the IPCC are contained in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill. In 2014-15, the Government are providing £18 million from the police settlement to increase the IPCC's ability to deal with all serious and sensitive cases involving the police.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission have resulted in criminal prosecutions in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these prosecutions resulted in convictions.

Damian Green: This information is not held by the Home Office. The Independent Police Complaints Commission will write to the hon. Member and I will place a copy of the letter in the House Library.

Intelligence Services

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on permitting foreign intelligence agencies to unminimise UK citizens' communications data.

James Brokenshire: As has been the practice of successive Governments, we do not comment on intelligence matters. However, UK intelligence activities are carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on police (a) workloads and (b) morale and wellbeing of recent reductions in police numbers; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: No such estimate has been made. This Government inherited the toughest fiscal challenge in living memory and we are having to take difficult decisions across the public sector including on police funding.
	Police reform is working—forces are prioritising frontline delivery, crime continues to fall and victim satisfaction is up.
	The Government are focused on the difference that police make, not how many of them there are. Forces are rising to the challenge of transforming the way policing is delivered to ensure that the quality of service provided to the public is maintained or improved.

Police: Emergency Calls

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department collects on response times to 999 emergency calls in each police force area in England; and what the response times in (a) Cleveland Police and (b) Hartlepool Basic Command unit area were in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011, (iv) 2012 and (v) 2013.

Damian Green: The Home Office collects data on the number of 999 calls received and the number of 999 calls answered within local target times but not on the response times to 999 emergency calls.
	Up until 2010-11, the Home Office also collected data on local target times for answering 999 calls but again not on the actual response times.

Police: Stress

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of exhaustion and stress-related illnesses experienced by police officers in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not collect data centrally on the nature of police officer sickness.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what weighting her Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department's procurement procedures require every procurement activity to have a fair and transparent procurement strategy that sets out the procurement criteria to be used. The procurement criteria must be set out in an evaluation matrix which should include weightings for scores where necessary. Every element of the procurement criteria, including any weighting, if appropriate, must be justifiable by the specific characteristics of the particular procurement activity and be defensible in the event of a legal challenge.
	Consequently, the extent to which Home Office can take into account factors such as the location of a company and its work force, a company's strong environmental records, whether the company is a social enterprise and the company's prior performance history will depend on the particular circumstances of individual procurement activity.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what value of contracts procured by her Department in the last five years was carried out below EU thresholds.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many and the value of contracts procured by the Home Department in the last five years that was carried out below the EU thresholds is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Stop and Search: Ethnic Groups

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures she is taking to address concerns in the African/Caribbean community about the use of stop and search; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: When stop and search powers are used effectively and fairly, they are a vital tool for the police in the fight against crime. The Government launched a public consultation in the summer of 2013 to seek the views of the public on various themes, including the fair use of the powers. The consultation closed in September and the Government are analysing the many responses to the consultation and will publish its conclusions in due course.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crimes of Violence: Females

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will place in the Library the minutes of the meeting of 26 September 2013 between the former Director of Public Prosecutions and representatives of the Home Office regarding the decline in referrals for prosecution of cases of violence against women and girls.

Oliver Heald: Violence against women and girls is a key priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and, in 2012-13, the conviction rates for cases flagged as rape and domestic violence were at record highs for the second year running.
	On 26 September 2013, the CPS held detailed discussions with a number of interested parties including the Home Office, the National Policing Leads for domestic violence and rape, the Attorney-General’s Office and Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary to better understand the falls in referrals of rape and domestic violence cases from the police to the CPS.
	A note of the meeting will be placed in the Library. A final set of actions from the meeting were announced by the Solicitor-General as a six-point action plan in response to a written question from the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry), on 22 October 2013, Official Report, column 141W.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much of the (a) £14 million underspend identified in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) annual report 2012-13 and (b) £12 million underspend identified in the CPS annual report 2011-12 was carried forward.

Oliver Heald: There is no scope for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to carry forward the underspends against its vote reported in its annual accounts. However, under budget exchange, the CPS may reduce its vote by taking a supplementary estimate in advance of the financial year end. Where a Department uses budget exchange, it receives a corresponding budgetary increase in the following year.
	In 2011-12, the CPS surrendered £2 million under budget exchange, in return for an increase in budget in 2012-13 of £2 million. In 2012-13, the CPS surrendered £14 million in return for an increase in budget of £12 million. The CPS follows Treasury guidance in maintaining budget carry forwards within prudent limits, and recognises that Departments are under no obligation to surrender their entire forecast underspend.
	The CPS aims to spend the right amount of money each year that is needed to fulfil its statutory functions. To achieve this, the CPS maintains an effective system of financial control and closely monitors expenditure against its internal budgets and its overall vote.

Electronic Tagging

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will seek assurances from the Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that the time that has elapsed since Ministers requested that the SFO investigate G4S and Serco over tagging overcharges has not resulted in the loss of important evidence.

Oliver Heald: The Director of the SFO opened a criminal investigation into G4S and Serco electronic monitoring contracts in autumn 2013. SFO cases are by their nature complex, lengthy and resource intensive. It would not be appropriate to comment further on a current investigation.

Freezing Orders

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many asset restraining orders the Crown Prosecution Service has applied for in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The following table shows the number of restraint orders applied for in the last five financial years.
	
		
			 Financial year Restraint applications granted Restraint applications refused Restraint orders applied for 
			 2008-09 1,463 4 1,467 
			 2009-10 1,281 1 1,282 
			 2010-11 1,552 7 1,559 
			 2011-12 1,233 1 1,234 
			 2012-13 1,126 0 1,126

Legal Profession: Industrial Action

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many Crown Prosecution Service prosecutions were delayed due to the 6 January 2014 walk out by solicitors and barristers.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) did not maintain central detailed records of the impact of the non-attendance of solicitors and self-employed barristers on each case listed in magistrates courts and the Crown court on the morning of 6 January.
	The action of solicitors and barristers not to attend court on the morning of 6 January caused some trials and interlocutory hearings listed in the morning to be delayed until the afternoon. The action caused delay of about two and half hours to the commencement of trials listed in the morning, where the start was delayed until the afternoon. The delay to interlocutory hearings listed on the morning of 6 January would have had no material impact on the overall progress of those prosecutions.

Taxation: Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General for each of the past three calendar years, how many confiscation orders imposed in relation to CPS tax fraud prosecutions were for (a) £0-£1,000, (b) £1,001-£5,000, (c) £5,001-£10,000, (d) £10,001-£20,000, (e) £20,001-£50,000, (f) £50,001-£100,000, (g) £100,001-£500,000, (h) £500,001-£1 million, (i) £1 million-£5 million and (j) more than £5 million.

Oliver Heald: The following table shows the number of confiscation orders obtained for cases categorised as tax and benefit fraud or VAT fraud based on the original amount of the confiscation order.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 £0 to £1,000 41 70 38 
			 £1,001 to £5,000 23 35 18 
			 £5,001 to £10,000 22 40 19 
			 £10,001 to £20,000 63 116 75 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 60 172 108 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 22 50 38 
			 £100,001 to £500,000 11 55 44 
			 £500,001 to £1,000,000 4 8 7 
			 £1,000,001 to £5,000,000 3 9 3 
			 > £5,000,000 4 2 2 
			 Total 253 557 352 
			 Note: These figures will include confiscation orders for benefit frauds in addition to tax cases. It is not possible to filter these cases out.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what research the Electoral Commission has commissioned on the reasons for public sector concern over electoral registration fraud.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it contracted the agency Define Research and Insight to carry out qualitative research with the public into perceptions of electoral fraud. The research was carried out in two phases between January and May 2013, and included a combination of group discussions and individual in-depth interviews undertaken in a range of locations across the UK.

Electorate

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will place in the Library a copy of all (a) correspondence and (b) minutes of meetings in the last three years concerning the use of identity cards for voters.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it will write to the hon. Member with as much of the information requested as possible and will arrange for copies to be placed in the House Library.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Infrastructure Levy

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been raised in each local authority area and in total through the Community Infrastructure Levy (d106) in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Nicholas Boles: This information is not held centrally. Each Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Authority has to report annually on the amount of levy collected and spent during the financial year and the amount of levy retained at the end of that financial year. The information must be published on their website, and must form part of their annual Local Planning Authority Monitoring Report.

Housing: Construction

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average time taken is for a large housing scheme to go through a local council's planning system.

Nicholas Boles: The Department's statistics on planning applications show the number of local planning authority decisions on major residential developments (10 or more dwellings) by various time periods from receiving the application to making the decision. The latest statistics show in the 12 months to September 2013 54% of major residential decisions were within 13 weeks (the statutory deadline), 71% in 26 weeks and 88% in 52 weeks.
	Under this Government, the number of planning applications has risen, the proportion of planning approvals has risen and the number of planning appeals has fallen. 99% of all planning decisions are ‘right first time’: that is they are agreed, rejected and not appealed, or appealed and still rejected. But major decisions are still too slow. Planning delays are unfair to both local residents and planning applicants. Planning is a quasi-judicial process: and justice delayed is justice denied.
	The Government have been working with councils to help speed-up decisions on
	applications, including:
	funding the Planning Advisory Service, which provides advice on service improvements;
	reducing unnecessary information required to be submitted with applications;
	extending permitted development rights to take minor and uncontroversial applications out of the system, allowing resources to be targeted more effectively;
	working with the slowest local authorities to raise their performance, assisted by measures introduced in the Growth and Infrastructure Act.
	A number of additional technical measures to improve the end-to-end process of handling applications were announced in the autumn statement on 5 December 2013.

World War I: Anniversaries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to support communities who wish to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Stephen Williams: My Department is supporting a wide programme of first world war centenary commemoration projects that will support all communities who wish to commemorate this important period. These include a commemorative paving stone campaign for Victoria Cross recipients, a joint project with the Department for Education to send schoolchildren to the battlefields, and a series of 50 lectures on the commonwealth nations' contribution to the war, being facilitated by the Curzon Institute. Full details can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/first-world-war-centenary

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Dan Rogerson: The figures in the following table show payments by core DEFRA to each council.
	
		
			 Core DEFRA 
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-141 
			 (a) Reading borough council 181,351 40,000 0 24,500 
			 (b) West Berkshire council 205,433 18,294 13,148 38,000 
			 1 To end of December. 
		
	
	The figures in the following table show payments by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to each council.
	
		
			 RPA 
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-141 
			 (a) Reading borough council 0 4,400 13,258 7,740 
			 (b) West Berkshire council 51,565 19,581 52,959 57,971 
			 1 To end of December. 
		
	
	DEFRA's other four Executive Agencies did not make payments to the two Councils. This does not coyer any payments to the Councils by DEFRA’s non- departmental public bodies or other arm’s length bodies.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department will ensure the independent assessment of the (a) humaneness, (b) safety and (c) effectiveness of the two pilot badger culls during the period of the extension of the pilots.

George Eustice: A full programme of observations and post-mortems to gather the required evidence to support an assessment of the humaneness of controlled shooting was completed, as planned during the six weeks of the pilot culls. It was concluded that continuing observations beyond the required 60 and associated 120 post-mortems would add little to the statistical robustness of the data gathered during the planned six weeks of the humaneness study.
	Monitoring was carried out by Natural England to ensure that cull companies complied with the licence conditions and best practice guidance (which include requirements for safe and humane shooting) continued through the extension periods. A post-mortem capability was maintained to support any investigations if necessary.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion of 9 January 2014, on badger culls, if he will make it his policy to extend the remit of the Independent Panel to cover and report on all extensions of badger cull pilots; what the rationale has been to date for limiting the Independent Panel's remit to the first six weeks of the culls; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: During the six-week periods in each cull area, a structured programme of observations and post-mortems was implemented by trained teams to build a robust evidence base that will inform conclusions about the humaneness of controlled shooting. This programme of carrying out the required number of field observations and post-mortem examinations was completed during the six-week period, as planned, and in accordance with the protocols agreed with the Independent Expert Panel in advance of the pilot culls commencing.
	Careful consideration was given to whether there was a need to continue this monitoring during the extension periods, and the chair of the independent panel was consulted. It was concluded that continuing observations beyond the required 60 and associated 120 post-mortems would add little to the statistical robustness of the data gathered during the planned six weeks of the humaneness study.
	It should be noted that monitoring by Natural England to ensure that cull companies complied with the licence conditions and best practice guidance continued through the extension periods. A post-mortem capability was maintained to support any investigations if necessary.
	The panel will also review the efficacy of the pilot culls at the end of the six-week period as planned.

Environment Agency

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff are currently employed in the Environment Agency's offices in (a) York, (b) Leeds, (c) Rotherham and (d) Hull; how many posts will be declared redundant in each office as a result of his decision to reduce the Agency's staff by 1,700 by October 2014; and what the duties are of each of the posts in Yorkshire that are currently being considered for redundancy.

Dan Rogerson: In December 2013, the Environment Agency had 775 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff based out of these offices.
	
		
			 FTE of all Environment Agency posts in specific offices 
			  FTE 
			 Coverdale House (York) 155 
			 Lateral (Leeds) 498 
			 Templeborough (Rotherham) 120 
			 Willerby Office (Hull) 2 
			 Grand Total 775 
		
	
	The Environmental Agency is likely to reduce staff numbers from the previous forecast of around 11,250 at the end of March 2014 to around 9,700 by October 2014. They do not yet know how and where specific staff numbers will be affected as this is currently being considered and detailed proposals will be announced in due course.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of habitat created by the Environment Agency's Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management work in each year between 2008 and 2013; and what the estimated value is of such habitat planned to be created in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency estimates that the cost of habitat created or planned through its flood and coastal erosion risk management work between 2008 and 2015 is:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 6.4 
			 2009-10 8.4 
			 2010-11 14.8 
			 2011-12 17.0 
			 2012-13 18.9 
			 2013-14 7.0 
			 2014-15 9.1 
			 Total 81.6 
			 Source: Environment Agency figures 
		
	
	No estimate of the total value of the habitat created has been made.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much partnership funding will be spent between 2011 and 2015; and what proportion of such funding is not from the public purse.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency expects £148 million of contributions to flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes to be realised between 2011-12 to 2014-15, including in-kind contributions. Approximately one quarter of the financial contributions to Environment Agency-led projects in 2013-14 and 2014-15 are being accessed directly from non-public sector partners. Providing an exact overall figure is difficult because we cannot say how much private money comes through sources such as community infrastructure levy.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the cost of restoring coastal defences to their integrity before December 2013.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency’s assessment of coastal defences affected by the storm surges on the east, west and south coast’s since the beginning of December is still under way. Investigations are being undertaken as soon as it is feasible and safe to do so. I will update the House in due course.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff from the biodiversity and waste management teams of the Environment Agency were funded through the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

Dan Rogerson: The number of full-time equivalent staff from the biodiversity teams of the Environment Agency that were funded through the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget over the last four years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of full-time equivalent staff 
			 2010-11 182 
			 2011-12 179 
			 2012-13 180 
			 2013-14 1151 
			 1 To September 2013. 
		
	
	No staff from the waste management teams of the Environment Agency are funded through the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many non-flood and coastal erosion risk management staff at the Environment Agency have been redeployed for emergency flood response activities in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency does not have the figures for the number of non-flood and coastal risk management staff deployed for emergency flood response activities in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	In 2012-13 flooding resulted in around 5,000 members of Environment Agency staff being deployed for emergency flood response activities. Records show that around 800 or 16% of these staff members were from non-flood and coastal erosion risk management teams.
	There were no significant flooding incidents in 2013-14 until December of this year. At this time it is not possible to gather the information to show how many non-flood and coastal erosion risk management staff were deployed for emergency flood response activities. This information will be available in March 2014.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management projects were worked on by non-Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management staff; and how many full-time equivalent posts this represented in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency does not have the information available to answer this question.
	Flood and coastal erosion risk management project work is funded by the flood and coastal erosion risk management funds.

Food: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with ministerial counterparts on increasing the purchase of British food by public bodies.

George Eustice: DEFRA Ministers have had a range of conversations with ministerial colleagues in other Departments, in particular the Department of Health and the Department for Education, to discuss the promotion of sourcing local food in the context of sustainable and healthy diets.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to assist the UK farming sector to introduce GM crops.

Dan Rogerson: The commercial cultivation of GM crops is subject to regulatory approval at EU level. We are arguing for the European Union authorisation regime to operate more effectively, without unjustified delays in reaching decisions. We want fair and predictable market access for GM crops which pass the required safety assessment, so that our farmers can choose whether or not to grow them. Before GM crops are planted commercially in England, DEFRA will assist the farm sector by ensuring that pragmatic segregation measures are in place which enables GM and non-GM crop production to co-exist.

Insects

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish an individual response to each submission to his Department’s final consultation on the National Pollinator Strategy.

Dan Rogerson: Our intention is to publish a summary of responses. The summary will include an analysis of issues raised by respondents and will be published on:
	www.gov.uk

Internal Drainage Boards

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial assistance he plans to make available to drainage boards whose assets were damaged following the recent tidal surge and overtopping of defences maintained by the Environment Agency.

Dan Rogerson: Assessment of the damage to internal drainage board assets following the recent tidal surge is still under way. We will await the outcome of the assessment before considering the financial implications.

Scottish Wildcat

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the Countryside Alliance, (b) the British Association of Shooting and Conservation and (c) the Scottish Landowners Association on potential reintroduction programmes for the Scottish wildcat.

George Eustice: We have had no discussions with these organisations about potential reintroduction programmes for the Scottish wildcat and have no plans for any introduction in England. As wildlife conservation is a devolved issue any releases of Scottish wildcats in Scotland would be a matter for the Scottish Government to consider.

Secondment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many individuals employed by (a) major UK utility companies, (b) Energy UK and (c) any related energy utility organisation were seconded to his Department in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Dan Rogerson: During the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013, five employees from UK utility organisations were seconded into core DEFRA. The breakdown is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Major UK utility companies (excluding energy) 0 0 3 1 
			 Energy UK 0 0 0 0 
			 Energy utility organisations 1 0 0 0

Staff

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps he has taken to improve morale among his Department’s staff.

Dan Rogerson: The staff engagement index, measured through DEFRA’s annual People Survey, is an indicator of staff morale. Results from the 2013 survey, due to be published at end of January, show an increased overall engagement score.
	A wide range of actions have been undertaken to improve engagement over the last year, which we continue to build on. These include a better articulation of DEFRA’s overall offer to its staff; increased opportunities for staff to engage directly with senior leadership and provide their feedback; increased provision and take up of the learning and development opportunities available and a refreshed focus on giving all our staff equality of opportunity to progress and achieve their potential on merit.
	We will continue to monitor engagement levels throughout the year and maintain our focus on improving these.

Water Charges

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will make an estimate of the proportion of households still paying for water by rateable value.

Dan Rogerson: Currently 59% of households in England pay for water by rateable value.

Water Voles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to maintain water vole numbers and protect their habitat.

George Eustice: Water voles and their habitat receive full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and have been identified as one of the species of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity in England.
	This protection ensures that the welfare of water voles and their habitat is taken into consideration in planning and development (they are highlighted under planning policy guidance). Water voles and their habitats are also taken into consideration in agri-environment schemes such as Higher Level Stewardship where suitable habitat is protected, enhanced or created for their benefit through appropriate land management.
	Natural England, the Environment Agency, The Wildlife Trusts, People's Trust for Endangered Species, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are all members of the UK Water Vole Steering Group. This group supports and co-ordinates water vole initiatives across the UK, including the Water Vole Database and Mapping Project, which aims to manage and store water vole data, collate data on American mink, enable mapping of this data arid ensure effective use of the datasets for the benefit of water vole populations.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what scientific research his Department (a) holds or (b) has commissioned on the potential effects on marine life of (i) offshore wind farms and (ii) construction of the Westermost Rough Offshore Wind Farm; and if he will publish the conclusions of that research.

George Eustice: DEFRA has funded a number of research projects on the potential effects of offshore wind farms on marine life, including:
	A marine renewables research programme, looking at the potential impacts of wind farms and other renewable energy installations on the marine environment, including seabed, marine mammals and seabirds. The five-year programme, commissioned in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council, will report in late 2014.
	An expert report commissioned by the Habitats and Wild Birds Directive—Marine Evidence Group entitled ‘An analysis of potential broad-scale impacts on harbour porpoise from proposed pile driving activities in the North Sea’. The report will be published in early 2014.
	A report on measures that could be taken to mitigate or compensate the impacts of offshore wind farms on birds. The work, completed by MacArthur Green Ltd, will be published in early 2014.
	A strategic review of offshore wind farm monitoring data associated with license conditions, completed by CEFAS in 2010.
	Once completed, the reports of all DEFRA-funded research are publically available at DEFRA's Research and Development website:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/
	DEFRA have not commissioned and do not hold any research specific to the construction of the Westermost Rough Wind Farm Development.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Occupational Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what funding was allocated to the well-being budget for staff of the House in each year for which data are available.

John Thurso: There is no specific well-being budget for staff of the House: support for well-being is in the form of the staff welfare service and medical services. The annual cost of the welfare function for House of Commons staff is £65,000 representing the salary costs of the welfare officers. The annual cost to the House of the medical services is £199,800. This cost includes the annual contract with St Thomas’ hospital to provide occupational health services, plus the salaries of the nurses who are employed by the House. These services are used by both Members and staff and it is not possible to disaggregate costs between these two groups.

JUSTICE

Court of Protection

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to provide safeguards against a person appointed as a deputy by the Court of Protection failing to use compensation awarded for the purposes for which it was intended; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes: The Court of Protection (CoP) has the power to make decisions and appoint deputies to make decisions about someone's property and financial affairs or their health care and personal welfare. It is standard practice for the Court to order a deputy appointed to make decisions about property and financial affairs to take out a security bond (insurance) as a safeguard against misuse of funds. Where the case involves a large award of compensation, it is also usual for the Court to impose restrictions on the powers given to the deputy.
	Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has a responsibility to supervise deputies appointed by the Court of Protection. Supervision is proportionate and involves allocating cases to different ‘tiers' of supervision based on a risks-based approach. All deputies are required to lodge annual reports with the Office of the Public Guardian stating what decisions they have made on behalf of the person lacking capacity and provide details of how the monies under their control have been spent. The OPG carries out regular reporting and spot-checks and investigates further if anything of concern is identified. If there is evidence of abuse, it makes an application to the Court of Protection to suspend the deputy's powers, or reports to the police if it suspects that a crime has been committed.
	The OPG is carrying out a comprehensive review of its supervision model. The implementation of a new operating model, together with new digital channels of communication from 2014, will assist the OPG to exercise appropriate oversight of deputies' decision-making function. A public consultation which included proposals for the supervision function closed on 26 November.

Courts: Interpreters

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints have been received about the court interpreter contract in each month of its operation.

Shailesh Vara: Please find following the link to the online published statistics on the use of Language Services in Courts and Tribunals. This includes data on complaints:
	Statistics
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-use-of-language-services-in-courts-and-tribunals
	The volume of complaints for court interpreters has decreased since the start of the MOJ contract.

Divorce

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will commission a review of the effects of the provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on referrals to mediation services for divorcing couples.

Shailesh Vara: The Government will be undertaking a post-implementation review of the legal aid provisions within the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) in three to five years’ time. This will include a review of the impact of the reforms, including on the provision of mediation services.
	I also refer to my previous answer of 18 December in which I advised the hon. Member that monthly data are collated by the Legal Aid Agency on the number of mediation cases which receive public funding for the Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) and for mediation starts. The Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency continue to monitor the position in relation to referrals to MIAMs and on mediation starts to ensure there is no risk that the general public is unable to access services. We are also undertaking a range of activities to raise awareness of family mediation and the fact that it is still in scope for public funding, for those that qualify, and to help mediation services promote themselves.

Domestic Violence

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many non-molestation orders were issued in respect of domestic abuse in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many non-molestation orders in respect of domestic abuse were breached in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available.

Damian Green: Data collected by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, and published in Court Statistics Quarterly, show the volume of all non-molestation orders made in England and Wales. In the year 2012 (the latest complete year for which figures are available) a total of 19,405 such orders were made. In the same year, 2,650 defendants were found guilty in all courts in England and Wales of breach of a non-molestation order.
	Domestic violence and abuse is a dreadful crime and it is not acceptable within our society. The Government are committed to ensuring that the police and other agencies have the tools necessary to tackle it, to bring offenders to justice and to ensure victims have the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Domestic Violence

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will support the implementation of Eve's Law in respect of the protection of victims of domestic violence.

Damian Green: It is vital that our courts system protects victims of crime. Eve Thomas met my officials recently. We are considering the important points she has made, and we will look at whether and in what circumstances protection might be extended.
	It is already open to a judge in a civil court, on application of a party, to make an order to ensure that certain personal information, such as an address, remains confidential during proceedings. This is a matter for the discretion of the judge, taking into account the circumstances in each individual case.
	Any party in Family Proceedings who does not wish for their contact details (or that of any child) to be made known to anyone may file a Form C8. The details can then be disclosed only by an order of court.

Elections: Fraud

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the ethnic background was of those (a) alleged to have committed, (b) charged with and (c) convicted of electoral fraud offences relating to (i) voting, (ii) registration and (iii) nomination in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of offences of personation under s60 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, in England and Wales, by ethnic appearance, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in the tables. The ethnic appearance classification is used by the police when they visually identify someone as belonging to an ethnic group. Data on charges are not held by the Ministry of Justice.
	Data for all other offences under the various Representation of the People Acts which specifically refer to offences relating to voting, registration and nomination cannot be separately identified on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database as they form part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be separately analysed.
	
		
			 Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of offences related to personation1, by ethnic appearance, England and Wales, 2008-122, 3 
			  20084 2009 2010 
			 Ethnic appearance Prosecuted Convicted Prosecuted Convicted Prosecuted Convicted 
			 White - - - - - - 
			 Black - - - - - - 
			 Asian - 2 - 1 - 1 
			 Other5 - - 2 2 - - 
			 Unknown - - - - - - 
			 Total - 2 2 3 - 1 
		
	
	
		
			  2011 2012 
			 Ethnic appearance Prosecuted Convicted Prosecuted Convicted 
			 White - - - - 
			 Black - - - - 
			 Asian - - - - 
			 Other5 - - - - 
			 Unknown - - - - 
			 Total - - - - 
			 ‘-’ = Nil 1 An offence under S60 of the Representation of the People Act 1983. 2 The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 4 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. 5 The ‘Other' category includes individuals classified by police officers as having either a ‘Chinese, Japanese or South East Asian' or ‘Middle Eastern' ethnic appearance. Ethnic appearance is used by all police forces in England and Wales for operational purposes. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) male and (b) female victims of trafficking for labour exploitation accessed Government-supported services provided through the Salvation Army in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Salvation Army has run the Government contract to provide assistance and support to potential adult victims of human trafficking since 1 July 2011.
	Between then and 31 December 2012, 270 males and 62 females referred to the Salvation Army had been identified as potential victims of labour exploitation.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the nationality and gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in December 2013; in which (a) region, (b) county, (c) metropolitan district, (d) district council area, (e) city and (f) parliamentary constituency each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to the Scheme; and in which town was the shelter to which they were placed for the statutory period.

Damian Green: In December 2013 there were 113 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. In the interests of victim safety only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided. Details are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Nationality Gender Region Agency type 
			 Albanian Female South Self Referral 
			 Albanian Female North West Home Office 
			 Albanian Female North East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female North West Home Office 
			 Albanian Female North East Home Office 
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
			 Albanian Female South East Home Office 
			 Angolian Female East Home Office 
			 Bolivian Female South Legal Representative 
			 Batswana Female West Midlands Home Office 
			 British Male South Police 
			 British Female North East Police 
			 British Male South West Police 
			 British Female South East Self Referral 
			 Cameroonian Female South East Home Office 
			 Cameroonian Female Yorkshire NGO 
			 Chinese Female South Home Office 
			 Chinese Female South Health Services 
			 Czech Male North West NGO 
			 Czech Male North West NGO 
			 Czech Female North West Police 
			 Czech Male Yorkshire Police 
			 Ethiopian Female South Police 
			 Ethiopian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Gambian Female North West NGO 
			 Ghanaian Female South East Self Referral 
			 Ghanaian Female West Midlands Police 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire Police 
			 Hungarian Female North West NGO 
			 Ivoirian Female South Home Office 
			 Ivoirian Female Yorkshire Home Office 
			 Jamaican Female North East Legal Representative 
			 Kenyan Female South Home Office 
			 Latvian Female North West Home Office 
			 Latvian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Latvian Female East Midlands Local Authority 
			 Latvian Male East Midlands Local Authority 
			 Latvian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Lithuanian Male East Midlands Police 
		
	
	
		
			 Lithuanian Female South East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male South East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male South West Home Office 
			 Lithuanian Female Yorkshire NGO 
			 Lithuanian Male South West Home Office 
			 Lithuanian Female South Police 
			 Lithuanian Male South Police 
			 Lithuanian Female South East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male South East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male South East Police 
			 Lithuanian Male North West Police 
			 Lithuanian Male North West Police 
			 Lithuanian Female East Police 
			 Nigerian Male South NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South East Home Office 
			 Nigerian Male South NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South East Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female East Self Referral 
			 Nigerian Female East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female North East Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South West Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South East Self Referral 
			 Nigerian Female North West Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South Self Referral 
			 Nigerian Female North West Police 
			 Nigerian Male South Police 
			 Nigerian Female South East Home Office 
			 Nigerian Female South East Home Office 
			 Pakistani Female South East Home Office 
			 Pakistani Male North West Home Office 
			 Polish Male East Midlands Police 
			 Polish Male South East Polish Embassy 
			 Polish Male South East Polish Embassy 
			 Polish Female West Midlands Police 
			 Polish Male East Midlands Self Referral 
			 Polish Male East Midlands Police 
			 Polish Male West Midlands Police 
			 Polish Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Polish Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Polish Male West Midlands Police 
			 Polish Male South NGO 
			 Romanian Female South West Police 
			 Romanian Female South West Police 
			 Romanian Male South West Police 
			 Romanian Female South East Police 
			 Romanian Female South East Police 
			 Romanian Male West Midlands Police 
			 Sierra Leonean Female South Police 
			 Slovakian Female West Midlands Self Referral 
			 Slovakian Male West Midlands Self Referral 
			 Slovakian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Slovakian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Slovakian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Slovakian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Slovakian Female North West Local Authority 
			 Sri Lankan Male East Police 
			 Thai Female Not Known Self Referral 
			 Ugandan Female East Midlands Home Office 
			 Ugandan Female South East Home Office 
			 Ugandan Female South NGO 
			 Unknown Male West Midlands Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Female South East Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Male Wales Police 
		
	
	
		
			 Vietnamese Female East Police 
			 Vietnamese Female North East Home Office 
			 Vietnamese Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Vietnamese Male Wales Legal Representative 
			 Zambian Female South Home Office 
			 Zambian Female South Local Authority

Recruitment

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 are (a) men and (b) women.

Shailesh Vara: Information on the proportion of staff recruited into the Ministry of Justice, (consisting of MOJ Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and Legal Aid Agency (LAA)) since 5 May 2010 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of staff recruited into MOJ since 5 May 2010 
			  Male Female  
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Total 
			 5 May 2010 to 31 March 2011 1,822 50.3 1,798 49.7 3,620 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 954 45.4 1,148 54.6 2,102 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 908 44.6 1,126 55.4 2,034 
			 1 April 2013 to 1 October 2013 1,365 44.6 1,693 55.4 3,058

Victim Support Schemes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding for victims support would be received by each police and crime commissioner if funding were to be allocated on a basis of population; and how much funding per victim this represents based on the number of reported crimes in each area in the last year for which figures are available.

Damian Green: Police and crime commissioners have been notified of indicative budgets for the commissioning of support services for victims of crime including Restorative Justice services, totalling £30,250,000 for 2014-15 and £60,800,000 for 2015-16. These figures represent more money than ever before being spent on support for victims of crime in England and Wales. The allocations for each police and crime commissioner (PCC) area are shown in the following table.
	While it is possible to calculate funding per police recorded crime in each area, it is not appropriate to calculate a ‘spend/funding per victim’ figure for each area as we do not know from these data the true number of victims at area level or their distribution between areas.
	Police recorded crime data can be influenced by area-level variations in both police recording practices and in reporting behaviour of victims.
	Different crimes and different victims will likely require varying levels of support. It is crucial that services respond to individual need. Additionally, crimes recorded by the police are recorded against the location where the incident took place. This is not necessarily where the victim lives and where they will likely seek the support of victims’ services. One of the reasons we are moving to a local commissioning model is to allow police and crime commissioners to provide a service which is tailored to their local community’s needs.
	
		
			 Total allocation 
			 £ 
			 Police force areas1 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Avon and Somerset 863,000 1,736,000 
			 Bedfordshire 334,000 671,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 435,000 875,000 
			 Cheshire 551,000 1,108,000 
			 Cleveland 298,000 600,000 
			 Cumbria 266,000 536,000 
			 Derbyshire 547,000 1,100,000 
			 Devon and Cornwall 899,000 1,808,000 
			 Dorset 401,000 806,000 
			 Durham 331,000 665,000 
			 Dyfed-Powys 276,000 554,000 
			 Essex 930,000 1,871,000 
			 Gloucestershire 322,000 647,000 
			 Greater Manchester 1,445,000 2,904,000 
			 Gwent 309,000 621,000 
			 Hampshire 1,024,000 2,058,000 
			 Hertfordshire 603,000 1,213,000 
			 Humberside 492,000 990,000 
			 Kent 934,000 1,879,000 
			 Lancashire 783,000 1,575,000 
			 Leicestershire 548,000 1,102,000 
			 Lincolnshire 384,000 772,000 
			 Merseyside 740,000 1,489,000 
			 MOPAC/City 4,442,000 8,929,000 
			 Norfolk 462,000 930,000 
			 North Wales 369,000 742,000 
			 North Yorkshire 429,000 862,000 
			 Northamptonshire 374,000 752,000 
			 Northumbria 761,000 1,530,000 
			 Nottinghamshire 587,000 1,181,000 
			 South Wales 689,000 1,385,000 
			 South Yorkshire 723,000 1,453,000 
			 Staffordshire 589,000 1,184,000 
			 Suffolk 391,000 787,000 
			 Surrey 611,000 1,229,000 
			 Sussex 867,000 1,743,000 
			 Thames Valley 1,227,000 2,467,000 
			 Warwickshire 293,000 588,000 
			 West Mercia 657,000 1,321,000 
			 West Midlands 1,477,000 2,969,000 
			 West Yorkshire 1,198,000 2,408,000 
			 Wiltshire 368,000 740,000 
			 Totals 30,250,000 60,800,000 
			 1 These figures are indicative and rounded down to the nearest thousand.

Witnesses: Protection

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the adequacy of legal protections afforded to witnesses in criminal cases; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government consider the role of witnesses in the criminal justice system to be of paramount importance, and are taking a number of steps to improve the quality of their experience.
	There is already a range of special measures available to help vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses give their best evidence in criminal cases. These include giving evidence by remote live link; being screened from the defendant in court; video-recorded evidence-in-chief; removal of wigs and gowns; clearing the public gallery in certain cases; aids to communication and the use of an intermediary.
	The Government have also:
	begun piloting the use of pre-recorded pre-trial cross-examination of vulnerable witnesses on 30 December 2013;
	issued a revised Witness Charter, which sets out the standards of care witnesses can expect to receive from criminal justice service providers on 11 December 2013; and
	launched the first UK Protected Persons Service on 1 October 2013 to ensure greater coordination and efficiency of services, national standards, improved consistency and accountability and above all, better protection for victims, witnesses and other vulnerable people whose lives could be at risk.
	Furthermore, there is provision in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, currently before the other House, which will ensure that any person whose safety is at risk from the possible or actual criminal conduct of another will receive the most appropriate form of protection, if this is assessed necessary to protect their life. This will mean that the police are not restricted to protecting only those people named on a list.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to enable holders of basic bank accounts to switch providers.

Sajid Javid: The Government are committed to improving access to financial services for individuals.
	A new current account switching service was launched in September last year. The service allows customers to switch their current account safely, simply, and within seven working days.

Banks

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress he has made on banking reform; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 13 January 2014
	The Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill was enacted on 18 December 2013. This ground-breaking reform is the biggest to the UK banking sector in a generation.
	The Act is a key part of the Government's plan to create a banking system that supports the economy, consumers and small businesses.
	It implements the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Banking, setup by the Government in 2010 to consider structural reform of the banking sector. It delivers the ring-fencing of banks' retail operations from their wholesale and investment operations,, the power to ‘bail in' creditors of a failing bank, and insured depositor preference in the creditor hierarchy.
	The Government have also created a new architecture for financial regulation through the Financial Services Act 2012. The Financial Policy Committee in the Bank of England is responsible for protecting and enhancing financial stability, while the Prudential Regulation Authority is responsible for effective regulation of individual firms. The Financial Conduct Authority is responsible for protecting consumers, promoting competition, and enhancing integrity in markets.

Business: Capital Investment

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the (a) level and (b) value of business capital investment in the UK in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the value of business capital investment in Northern Ireland was in each of the last three years.

Nicky Morgan: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on UK business investment. The latest estimates published in December 2013 show that business investment was £122 billion in 2010, £120 billion in 2011 and £125 billion in 2012 in real terms. The equivalent figures in current prices were £121 billion (2010), £123 billion (2011) and £128 billion (2012).
	The Office for Budget Responsibility expects business investment growth to strengthen in future years, consistent with the strengthening investment intentions seen in recent survey data, with growth of 5.1% in 2014, 8.6% in 2015 and rising to 8.9% in 2017.
	The ONS does not publish a geographic breakdown of business investment data.

EU Budget

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated total contribution the UK will make to the EU in each of the next five years.

Nicky Morgan: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) provides independent forecasts of the UK's contributions to the EU. The latest forecast, covering the period 2013-14 to 2018-19, is reported in its ‘Economic and fiscal outlook’ published on 9 December 2013, with detailed information in the ‘Supplementary Fiscal tables’.

National Insurance Contributions: Reserve Forces

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt employers from national insurance contributions in respect of reservists they employ.

David Gauke: The Government already provide direct financial support to employers of reservists. Firstly, the military pays reservist employees while they are mobilised. Secondly, employers can claim financial assistance to cover additional salary or one-off costs incurred due to the absence of the reservist. An example of this would be any overtime costs if other employees were used to cover the work of the reservist.
	There are plans to go even further to support reservist employers. As set out in the Reserves White Paper of July 2013, the Government have committed to introducing legislation to allow the Secretary of State to make payments to SME employers of reservists. This is in recognition of the fact that the impact of absence is greater for these employers.
	Tax and national insurance contributions policies are the responsibility of the Chancellor and any such decisions would be set out at future fiscal events.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the relationship will be between the payment systems regulator and the Bank of England; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 sets out that the payment systems regulator and the Bank of England, along with the FCA and PRA, will be under a duty to co-ordinate the exercise of their relevant functions. The regulators will draw up a memorandum of understanding describing their respective roles and how they intend to comply with the duty to co-ordinate.
	The legislation sets out that the Bank of England will have a power, where certain conditions are satisfied, to give the payment systems regulator a direction not to exercise a power or not to exercise it in a specified manner. The payment systems regulator will also be under a duty to consult the Bank of England, along with the FCA and PRA, on any proposal to impose a generally applicable requirement.
	The legislation also specifies that the Bank of England will not be considered as a participant of any kind in a payment system for the purposes of regulation by the payment systems regulator. The payment systems regulator will be required to have regard to the importance of maintaining the stability of, and confidence in, the UK financial system and the importance of payment systems in relation to the performance of functions by the Bank of England in its capacity as a monetary authority.
	This structure will deliver a focused regulator of payment systems that is able to co-ordinate effectively with other key bodies in this area.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the relationship will be between the payment systems regulator and the Competition and Markets Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 provides that some of the functions of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) under part 4 of the Enterprise Act 2002 will be functions exercised concurrently with the payment systems regulator, so far as those functions of the CMA relate to participation in payment systems.
	The legislation also imposes a requirement on the CMA and the payment systems regulator to consult each other before exercising any of their concurrently exercisable competition functions, and prevents one exercising functions in relation to a matter if the other had already exercised those functions in relation to that matter. The CMA will be required to report on the exercise by the payment systems regulator of its concurrent competition powers.
	Persons affected by certain decisions of the payment systems regulator will be able to appeal against the decision, and certain decisions will qualify as “CMA-appealable decisions”, to be appealed to the CMA.
	This structure will deliver a focused regulator of payment systems that is able to co-ordinate effectively with other key bodies in this area.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the payment systems regulator will examine the creation of a common-low-cost platform for challenger banks to access the payment system following its creation; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government have legislated for a new competition-focused, utility-style regulator for payment systems in the UK.
	The new payment systems regulator will examine the question of access to payment systems once it is up and running.
	The payment systems regulator will be equipped with a range of powers over regulated payment systems. These include a power to require the operator of a regulated payment system to grant direct access to the system, and a power to require a payment service provider with direct access to regulated payment systems to grant indirect access to the system.
	The payment systems regulator will also have a power (exercisable only on application) to vary the fees, charges, terms and conditions of an agreement for direct or indirect access to a regulated payment system.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to rolling the scheme companies into a single payment scheme following the establishment of the payment systems regulator in 2015; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the role and purpose of the scheme companies following the establishment of the payment systems regulator in 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government have legislated for a new competition-focused, utility-style regulator for payment systems in the UK.
	The Government have committed that the payment systems regulator will examine the question of payment systems ownership as a priority once it is operational. The regulator will be equipped with a range of powers, including a power (exercisable subject to Treasury consent) to require the disposal of an interest in the operator of a payment system, in whole or in part. The option of rolling the scheme companies into a single payment scheme would be open to the regulator, if it decided that this was appropriate.
	The Government have committed that the payment systems regulator will report on the ownership of payment systems once it is established. This is likely to involve an assessment of the role and purpose of the scheme companies.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure that work on (a) account number portability, (b) developing a low-cost platform to support access by challenger banks to the payment system and (c) using payments data to tackle financial crime and fraud is not delayed in the period before the establishment of the payment systems regulator; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government will continue to support ongoing work in these areas, including that being carried out by the Payments Council, in the period leading up to the establishment of the payment systems regulator.
	In our response to the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards in July of last year, the Government committed to asking the new payment systems regulator to urgently examine account portability and payment systems ownership once it is established.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what enforcement powers the payment systems regulator will be able to use when it becomes operational in 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government have legislated for a new competition-focused, utility-style regulator for payment systems in the UK.
	The Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 sets out that the payment systems regulator will have enforcement powers to publish details of compliance failure and impose financial penalties in respect of a compliance failure. It will also have a power to require owners of payment systems to dispose of their interests in them—subject to the satisfaction of certain pre-conditions and subject to HM Treasury approval. The payment systems regulator will also have Competition Act 1998 enforcement powers.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider establishing a shadow payment systems regulator during the period before the payment systems regulator becomes fully operational in 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: As set out in the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013, the payment systems regulator will be established as a subsidiary of the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority will be responsible for appointing the Chair, Managing Director and other staff for the payment systems regulator. The establishment of the PSR and the appointment of key staff are expected significantly before the payment systems regulator becomes fully operational in 2015.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect of fining Royal Bank of Scotland for breaching sanctions against Iran on the Government's assessment of the efficacy of (a) UK criminal law pertaining to financial crime and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority's ability to regulate the financial sector.

David Gauke: The fine for the Royal Bank of Scotland was administered by the United States Government for a breach of US sanctions relating to historical US dollar payment processes and controls, and does not relate to UK criminal law.
	Any assessment for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will be a matter for it to address. The FCA will reply to the hon. Member directly by letter. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Taxation: Switzerland

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the recent change in forecasted revenue accruing to the Treasury from the UK-Swiss tax evasion agreement.

David Gauke: The UK-Swiss agreement is expected to raise £1.9 billion that would otherwise largely remain beyond the reach of UK authorities.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility set out the rationale for its latest estimate in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook in December 2013. It is not unusual to revise estimates.
	The agreement provides for an audit process and we will be ensuring that it has been robustly implemented. Anyone who has sought to avoid the agreement still owes the evaded tax. They face severe penalties, possible criminal prosecution, and the publication of their name unless they come forward first to tell HMRC about their tax liabilities.

Taxation: Switzerland

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility on the recovery of UK tax liabilities from assets held in Switzerland at the time of the signing of the UK-Swiss tax agreement.

David Gauke: In its Economic and Fiscal Outlook published in December 2013, the Office for Budget Responsibility broke down the anticipated yield from the UK-Swiss agreement into (i) amounts to be received directly from Switzerland and (ii) amounts received via the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility or HMRC. The latter amount was shown as £0.5 billion.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) duration of calls made on (i) higher rate and (ii) 0845 telephone numbers to HM Revenue and Customs for tax credit enquiries in each year since 2007.

David Gauke: HMRC does not operate higher rate numbers other than 0845 and now supplies an alternative 03 number on all customer helplines. The Department intends to phase out all 0845 numbers by April 2015.
	From December 2011, the tax credit helpline was the first to offer an alternative 03 number. Calls to 03 prefixed numbers are charged to customers at the same rate as calls to landlines (with 01 and 02 prefixes) and are generally cheaper than 0845 numbers.
	In the 12 months ending 30 November 2013, the percentage of calls made to the tax credit helpline 0345 number was 83% and 17% to the 0845 number. The majority of customers are not charged higher rates for their call and some customers still choose to use the 0845 number as it is cheaper within their personal tariff plan.
	Since 2012-13, the Department regularly publishes its performance information on a quarterly basis, including tax credit helplines at www.gov.uk:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-plan-indicators

DEFENCE

Armed Forces

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the current appointments of all British forces personnel to foreign armed forces and Governments by rank and task.

Andrew Murrison: There are currently some 590 members of the British forces at all ranks appointed to tasks with foreign armed forces and Governments. I have placed a spreadsheet showing these personnel by country, task and rank in the Library of the House. These appointments reflect the close collaboration we enjoy with key allies and support defence engagement and upstream capacity building. The list does not include those who remain within the direct UK national chain of command.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 50W, on armed forces: deployment, whether any UK officers are on exchange with the US at the Combined Air Operations Centre in Afghanistan.

Mark Francois: There is no Combined Air Operations Centre in Afghanistan. The co-ordination of ISAF air operations in Afghanistan is conducted by the Combined Air Operations Centre in Al Udeid, Qatar.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), gave him on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 50W, which refers to the number of UK personnel on exchange with the US.

Army: Reorganisation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (a) when he expects the Capability Directorate to report to him and (b) on what subjects.

Philip Dunne: As recommended in Lord Levene's report on defence reform, capability planning has been delegated to the front-line commands. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), receives regular and frequent briefings on all aspects of defence capability.

D-Day Landings: Anniversaries

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what plans he has to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings; and what funding his Department is making available to support such an event;
	(2)  what discussion he has had with (a) ministerial colleagues, (b) veterans' organisations and (c) other interested parties on appropriate ways to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence is working closely with a number of organisations, including the Normandy Veterans' Association, the Royal British Legion and French authorities on plans for this year's 70th anniversary of D-Day. Representatives of all three Services will be in Normandy in June to provide recognition and support for the many veterans who we expect to attend. The Big Lottery Fund has extended its ‘Heroes Return' programme to provide financial support for veterans, widows and carers planning to participate in the commemorations. Further details will be announced in due course.

Future Large Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the A400M aircraft's (a) radar signature, (b) ability to penetrate hostile airspace at low level and (c) ability to land on rough short airstrip compared to that of the in-service C130J Hercules.

Philip Dunne: The multinational trials programme being conducted on behalf of the A400M partner nations by Airbus Military (the A400M prime contractor) is continuing to produce valuable data about this new aircraft. As these trials are ongoing and continue to provide fresh information, the process of analysing the results is not yet complete.
	To ensure that the A400M provides the expected capability any assessment will, of course, be made against the endorsed requirement rather than another aircraft type.

Human Rights

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on legal advice, representation and support in third party claims brought against the Department under the Human Rights Act 1998 since that Act entered into force.

Anna Soubry: I will write to the hon. Member with figures on associated spending for the most recent years. Figures are not held centrally in relation to expenditure since 1998.
	Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Matthew Offord:
	I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Question on 27 November 2013 (Official Report, column 310W) about “how much the Ministry of Defence has spent on legal advice, representation and support in third party claims brought against the Department under the Human Rights Act 1998 since that Act entered into force”.
	Having examined our records, we estimate that £3.7 million has been spent by the Department on legal advice, representation and support in defence of claims brought against it under the Human Rights Act since the Act entered into force. This figure does not include costs or compensation paid or awarded against the Department in such cases, or internal staff costs. It is very common for claims made under the Human Rights Acts to be linked with claims made under other causes of action, for example misfeasance in public office, personal injury or unlawful detention. In such cases we have assumed that all such costs are attributable to the Human Rights Act claim.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the Military Airworthiness Authority to give the first RC-135 Airseeker its release to service;
	(2)  what additional cost to the public purse was incurred as a result of the first RC-135 Airseeker being ready for delivery before the RAF could accept it.

Philip Dunne: Release to Service (RTS) is not the responsibility of the Military Aviation Authority; overall responsibility for RTS rests with the Ministry of Defence. We are currently on track towards securing formal airworthiness approval, as required by UK military aircraft airworthiness regulations, for Airseeker to enter service later this year.
	The first RC-135 aircraft was delivered ahead of schedule and has been accepted by the Ministry of Defence. Early delivery has not incurred any additional cost, and the RAF is currently deriving beneficial use ahead of receiving approval to fly.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional information was requested from (a) the USAF and (b) Boeing by QinetiQ in order to meet the Military Airworthiness Authority standards to release to service the first RC-135.

Mark Francois: In early 2012, Defence Equipment and Support and its technical support Subject Matter Experts in QinetiQ worked closely with the United States Air Force (USAF) to gain access to information from a number of US sources (including Boeing and the USAF) to support development of UK airworthiness documentation, notably the safety case and release to service. Further Boeing proprietary information, concerning aircraft performance in particular, has been requested by QinetiQ. The USAF has facilitated UK access to information from Boeing to meet this requirement.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the RC-135 Airseeker is equipped with single skin fuel lines.

Philip Dunne: The RC-135 does have single skin fuel lines but, in the case of the air-to-air refuelling and fuel dump systems, these have been modified by the United States Air Force (USAF) to incorporate shrouding and venting of the couplings. The modified system is being thoroughly assessed as part of the development of the aircraft safety case.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department was of military aviation collaboration projects (a) in the EU, (b) with non-EU countries, excluding the US and (c) with the US in the last two years.

Philip Dunne: Ministry of Defence expenditure on military aviation collaboration projects for each of the last two financial years (FY) is shown in the following table, rounded to the nearest million pounds. The expenditure includes airframes, engines and other systems intrinsic to the aircraft. It does not include airborne weapons fitted to aircraft.
	
		
			 £ million1 
			  Expenditure per financial year 
			 Aviation collaboration projects 2011-12 2012-13 
			 EU 2,466 1,617 
			 Non-EU (including US) 19 27 
			 US 375 251 
			 1 Rounded to nearest million pounds. 
		
	
	The UK is not engaged in any military aviation collaborative projects with only non-EU countries and excluding the USA. One project includes a collaboration of EU, non-EU countries and the US. This explains the cost in the ‘Non-EU' category above.

Overseas Trade

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 455, on international supply chains, which maritime security combined task forces are supported by the Scan Eagle unmanned maritime asset.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 December 2013, Official Report, column 198W. The Scan Eagle system is undergoing acceptance trials with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and we expect to deploy it operationally soon. It will be available for use on deployments by both single ships and where our vessels are part of larger task forces. However, as a matter of routine we would not give details of the exact timings and locations of its use, as to do so would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Public Expenditure

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what the £1.8 billion underspend from his Department's 2012-13 budget has been spent on; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 17 December 2013
	The Ministry of Defence will detail what portion of the 2012-13 core cash resource underspend we will draw down in 2013-14 at the 2013-14 supplementary estimates, to be published in February 2014.

Puma Helicopters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost of the Life Extension programme for the Puma helicopter; and how much of that work takes place in Brasov.

Philip Dunne: The forecast cost of the Puma Life Extension programme is £339 million. This includes the costs of development of the required modifications, trials activity necessary to certify the aircraft; the provision of initial support and conversion training for aircrew and maintainers, as well as the cost of modifying each aircraft. Some of the modification work is being undertaken in Romania (Brasov) and it is estimated that this work accounts for less than 10% of the project value.

Reserve Forces

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what overseas training is planned for reserve forces in 2014; and where that training will take place.

Mark Francois: As part of the new offer to reservists, we have increased the number of overseas training opportunities. This information is held according to the training year (April to March) rather than by calendar year. For the training year 2014-15 overseas training exercises focussed on Reserved Forces are planned to take place as listed:
	Maritime Reserve (Royal Navy Reserve and Royal Marine Reserve)
	Cyprus—1
	Gibraltar—1
	Norway—1
	United States of America—1
	Army Reserve
	Belize—3
	Croatia—1
	Cyprus—10
	Denmark—3
	Falkland Islands—3
	Germany—3
	Gibraltar—1
	Italy—2
	Kenya—6
	Spain—2
	United States of America—1
	Royal Auxiliary Air Force
	Cyprus—2
	Denmark—1
	Germany—1
	Norway—2
	United States of America—1
	Additionally, other small groups or individual reservists may participate in overseas exercises alongside regular forces, but information regarding such deployments is not held centrally.
	In the White Paper, “Reserves in the Future Force 2020: Valuable and Valued” (CM 8655) published in July 2013, we made a commitment routinely to inform employers of their employees' training commitment three months before the start of the training year in April; this is under way for the forthcoming training year, and will include notification of these overseas exercises.

EDUCATION

Al-Madinah School

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 80W, on Al-Madinah school, for what reasons he deems it inappropriate to publish the qualifications held by each member of the teaching staff at the Al-Madinah free school at the beginning of the school term September 2013.

Edward Timpson: It would be inappropriate to publish any staffing details at this time.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has decided it is in the best interests of pupils at Al-Madinah school to bring in new management. Barry Day of Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust is currently providing support to the school.

Foster Care

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on extending the provision of foster care up to the age of 21 for looked-after children in local authority care.

Edward Timpson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 94W.

Free Schools

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, columns 19-20, if he will publish a list of the free schools approved by Ministers which were amongst the 17% of lowest-scoring against assessment criteria.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has no plans to publish such a list. Approved applications will have been judged to be sufficiently strong overall to approve into the pre-opening stage.

Further Education

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his decision of 10 December 2013 to reduce funding for 18-year-olds in full-time education studying level 3 vocational programmes in further education colleges.

Matthew Hancock: We published an impact assessment on 13 January, which includes an analysis by institution type, level of study and type of programme. This can be found here:
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/i/impact%20assessment.pdf

Further Education

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons his Department did not carry out an impact assessment before announcing a reduction in funding for 18-year-olds in full-time education on 10 December 2013.

Matthew Hancock: An impact assessment was carried out before the 10 December 2013 announcement of the reduction in funding for 18-year-olds for the academic year 2014-15. This was published on 13 January and can be found at:
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/i/impact%20assessment.pdf

Further Education: Finance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the contribution by the Minister for Skills and Enterprise on 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 19, when the impact assessment will be published.

Matthew Hancock: We published an impact assessment on 13 January, which can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/funding/fundings/a00210682/funding-formula-review

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if his Department will publish any correspondence from Kings Science Academy Bradford on the identity of its chair of governors since 1 October 2011.

Edward Timpson: It would not be appropriate to publish correspondence at this time as there is an ongoing police investigation.
	I refer to the letter the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), sent to the Education Select Committee on 13 January, which is available online at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/funding/fundings/a00210682/funding-formula-review

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 98W, on Kings Science Academy, what his Department's policy is on the keeping of notes of telephone calls made by officials to report a suspected crime.

Edward Timpson: Under neither this Government nor the previous Government has the Department for Education kept notes of telephone calls made by officials reporting suspected crimes. In future all referrals to Action Fraud will be made using the online process and a copy will be retained.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 98W, on Kings Science Academy, if he will publish all emails sent by his Department referring to the telephone call to Action Fraud of 25 April 2013.

Edward Timpson: It would not be appropriate to publish any further correspondence at this time as there is an ongoing police investigation.
	Officials at the Department for Education reported the case by telephone to Action Fraud's national call centre on 25 April. An additional telephone call was made to West Yorkshire Police's Economic Crime Unit, who confirmed that this was the correct way to report fraud and that no further action was required.
	Following the Department's referral to Action Fraud on 25 April, an update was requested and provided on 5 September 2013. Communication in September with Action Fraud was by email and copies of these emails have already been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and associated agencies directly to schools located within (a) west Berkshire and (b) Reading borough in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

David Laws: The Department for Education and its associated agencies pay funds directly to academies and free schools. The funds allocated to these types of schools in both west Berkshire and Reading over the period in question are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			 Funding direct to schools 
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 (to date) 
			 West Berkshire n/a 21,792,079 32,756,238 29,896,713 
			 Reading 12,959,026 33,730,566 40,275,205 42,737,986 
		
	
	Figures include all revenue grants; devolved formula capital and maintenance capital grants and pupil premium. The 2013-14 figures include payments up to and including December 2013.

Schools: Transport

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions has he had with local authority leaders on the effects of rising costs of school transportation.

David Laws: Officials have recently visited a sample of local authorities across the country to better understand their home-to-school transport policies.
	I have also met former Department for Transport Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), to discuss the provision of school transport.

Sixth Form Colleges

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many sixth form college corporations have been dissolved in the last 10 years; and in each case for what reason the corporation was dissolved.

David Laws: 12 sixth form college corporations have been dissolved between January 2003 and December 2013. In the majority of cases, the corporation was dissolved as part of the legal process of merger with another further education corporation(s). The exception is St Mary's Roman Catholic College in Middlesbrough. In this instance, the corporation was dissolved and the provision made by the sixth form college was taken on by a neighbouring secondary school, Trinity College. The reason for dissolution is rarely a single issue but is often a combination of factors such as: inadequate Ofsted assessment; falling student numbers; financial viability, and strategies of the local authority at the time
	to rationalise sixth form provision. Detailed information relating to old dissolutions has not been retained. Where the rationale is known, it is included in the following table:
	
		
			 Sixth form college Date of change Merged provision Reason 
			 Bede Sixth Form College April 2008 Stockton Riverside College Merged to protect the future viability of provision in the locality. Bede was the smallest sixth form college at the time of merger. 
			 Eccles Sixth Form College January 2009 Salford City College Eccles College, Pendleton College and Salford College were merged following a feasibility study on the current and anticipated curriculum and facilities needed to meet the needs of young people, adults and employers in Salford. 
			 Farnham College August 2007 Guildford College — 
			 Haywards Heath College August 2005 Central Sussex College — 
			 Josiah Mason Sixth Form College August 2006 Sutton Coldfield College — 
			 Ludlow College August 2013 Herefordshire College of Technology Forecast future insolvency and falling student numbers. Merger protected the future provision for residents of Ludlow. 
			 North Area College January 2006 Stockport College of Further Education — 
			 Park College, Eastbourne November 2003 Sussex Downs College — 
			 Spelthorne College August 2007 Brooklands College — 
			 St Mary's RC College, Middlesbrough August 2011 Trinity School Provision judged inadequate by Ofsted. Falling student numbers. Transfer of provision protected the choice of Catholic post-16 provision for Middlesbrough. 
			 Tynemouth College March 2005 Tyne Metropolitan College — 
			 Widnes and Runcorn Sixth Form College August 2006 Halton Riverside College Part of a local authority-led strategy to reduce school and college provision.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many special educational needs students attained five or more A* to C grades at GCSE or equivalent, including English and Mathematics in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: The information requested can be found in the published statistical first release (SFR), which is available online1. A five-year time series for the SFR is available through drop-down menus.
	1https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-in-england

World War I: Anniversaries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to support schools which wish to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Elizabeth Truss: We are joint-funding, with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Project. This project provides the opportunity for a minimum of two pupils and one teacher from every state funded secondary school in England to visit battlefields and other notable sites and to take part in remembrance ceremonies on the Western Front. The project is currently being piloted and the tours will commence in spring 2014. Participating schools will share what they learn with their local communities.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Politics and Government

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work her Department's Governance and Fragile States department undertakes to promote better governance in fragile and conflict-affected states.

Lynne Featherstone: Twenty-one out of DFID's twenty-eight focus countries are fragile and affected by conflict, most of which have weak institutions and governance. The UK will spend 30% of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) in fragile and conflict-affected states by 2014-15, of which improving governance will be a major component.
	My Department promotes better governance, open societies and inclusive economies in fragile and conflict- affected states by supporting free and fair elections, representative parliaments, competitive politics, tackling corruption, improving public financial management, building a civil service, improving security and justice, reducing violence against women, addressing tax and rule of law issues and strengthening civil society.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what the reasons are for the Church Commissioners' decision to purchase alternative accommodation for the Bishop of Bath and Wells.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners have always kept under review the suitability of its houses to meet the needs of a diocesan bishop and facilitate his mission. In the case of the Palace at Wells, the Commissioners concluded that more suitable arrangements could be made for the ministry and living conditions of the new Bishop if he were not to live in the Palace, which is operated by the Palace Trust as a visitor attraction. The Bishop and the Bishop of Taunton will continue to be based and work at the Palace.
	The Commissioners are in the process of purchasing a residential property near Wells as an investment opportunity. This property could be used as a temporary home for the new Bishop while they work with him and the Diocese to identify a permanent property.

Churches: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate the Church Commissioners have made of the proportion of the Church Estate which is in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Baldry: The rural portfolio of the Church Commissioner investments makes up just over one third of the value of the investment property owned by the Church Commissioners (36%). All of the land is let on appropriate leases.
	These rural investments comprise:
	Farmland (spread across England and just into Wales);
	Forestry (mainly based in Scotland with smaller parcels of forestry in England);
	Mineral workings (including a number of quarries based in England);
	Residential and commercial property (which is made up of predominantly of farms or in the location of the farmland holdings in England).
	The Church Commissioners manage this rural land portfolio along with their other investments to fund the work of the Church of England, providing long-term and sustainable support for the mission of the Church, particularly in the Dioceses in the most deprived regions of the country. The Commissioners currently contribute 15 pence in every pound towards the cost of the Church of England, its mission and strategic aims.

CABINET OFFICE

Cybercrime

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the cyber threats posed to the UK.

Francis Maude: Cyber attacks have been assessed as a Tier One threat to the UK's national security. The latest annual report on the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the National Security Strategy, which was published on 19 December 2013, provides the current assessment for the UK on cyber threats.

Government Departments: Buildings

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the total expenditure was by Government Departments in 2013 on refurbishments of each Department's premises; and what sustainability criteria are applied to such refurbishment.

Francis Maude: The data requested are held by Departments.

Government Departments: Personnel Management

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the benchmark is for human resources costs per employee in central Government Departments.

Francis Maude: holding answer 13 January 2014
	At 30 September 2013, the year to date cost for HR across Government Departments was £623 per employee. The year to date cost comprises the first two quarters of 2013-14 and the final two of 2012-13, divided by the headcount as at 30 September 2013.
	The total cost of HR was £259 million against the original 2009 baseline of £524 million, a total saving of £265 million. The cost of HR for central Government has thus fallen by 51% since before the last general election. The comparison is like for like and uses Cabinet Office common areas of spend definitions to specify HR staff and non-staff costs.
	To achieve this overall cost reduction Departments were given a ‘graduated ambition’ setting different expectations based on their size, type and complexity. These ranged from £590 per employee for the largest Departments to £1,280 for the smallest.

Government Digital Service

Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the implications of the withdrawal of the Government Digital Service team for the timing of the development of the digital solution for the universal credit IT system;
	(2)  on what date the remaining Government Digital Service team will be replaced by specialists in the Department for Work and Pensions;
	(3)  how many members of the Government Digital Service are currently working on the digital solution for the universal credit IT system;
	(4)  when he estimates that all Government Digital Service resources will be withdrawn from the universal credit digital solution project.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leicester South (Jonathan Ashworth), on 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 325W.
	There are currently 10 members of GDS supporting the universal credit digital solution. As with all exemplar projects, GDS will continue to support the DWP on an ongoing basis.

Mobile Phones

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the proportion of application downloads to mobile telephones which are insecure; and what steps he is taking to reduce that number.

Francis Maude: holding answer 13 January 2014
	CESG, the UK's National Technical Authority for Information Assurance at GCHQ, has issued guidance to Government Departments and agencies on the secure use of mobile devices.

National Income

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the estimates of GDP calculated on the separate bases of production, income and expenditure were for each quarter in the years 2007-08 to 2012-13 before reconciliation to produce the single GDP figure for each quarter; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the estimates of GDP calculated on the separate bases of production, income and expenditure were for each quarter in the years 2007-08 to 2012-13 inclusive before reconciliation to produce the single GDP figure for each quarter (182415)
	Current ONS publications only include unreconciled data for GDP for periods since 2011. For earlier years, only reconciled estimates of GDP are published which are consistent with the Input-Output Supply and Use tables for 1997-2011 published on 31 July 2013. For later periods, estimates from the three approaches to measuring GDP have slightly differing growth rates and levels.
	Table 1 shows the latest GDP estimates consistent with the Quarterly National Accounts published on 20 December 2013. For quarters up to and including 2011, the reconciled figures are shown. For later quarters, the three unreconciled series are presented, together with the average of the three.
	
		
			 Table 1: GDP summary table1 
			 Chained volume measures £ million 
			 Gross domestic product at market prices2 
			  Seasonally adjusted Average estimate Expenditure-based estimate3 Income-based estimate3, 4 Output-based estimate3 
			 2007 Q1 382 040 — — — 
			  Q2 386 977 — — — 
			  Q3 391 767 — — — 
			  Q4 392 205 — — — 
			 2008 Q1 392 786 — — — 
			  Q2 389 239 — — — 
			  Q3 383 626 — — — 
			  Q4 375 388 — — — 
			 2009 Q1 366 124 — — — 
			  Q2 364 573 — — — 
			  Q3 364 557 — — — 
			  Q4 366 107 — — — 
			 2010 Q1 368 033 — — — 
			  Q2 371 779 — — — 
			  Q3 373 275 — — — 
			  Q4 372 529 — — — 
			 2011 Q1 374 264 — — — 
			  Q2 374 628 — — — 
			  Q3 376 862 — — — 
			  Q4 376 462 — — — 
			 2012 Q1 376 324 377 089 375 693 376 187 
			  Q2 374 754 375 873 374 004 374 383 
			  Q3 377 684 379 028 377 113 376 907 
			  Q4 377 231 378 632 377 118 375 940 
			 2013 Q1 379 113 380 486 379 522 377 329 
			  Q2 382 090 383 417 382 866 379 987 
			  Q3 384 996 386 320 385 774 382 895 
			 1 Data are consistent with the Quarterly National Accounts Q3 2013 publication which was published on 20 December 2013. 2 Data for the three approaches up to and including 2011 were reconciled and published in Blue Book 2013. Annually, this reconciliation is carried out through the construction of Input-Output Supply and Use tables. For years in which no supply and use balance has been struck (2012 onwards) a statistical discrepancy exists between estimates of the total expenditure components of GDP and the total income components of GDP. 3 Data exclude the statistical discrepancy adjustment but include any balancing adjustment work carried out 4 Income data deflated by the implied GDP deflator at market prices, which is based on expenditure data. Source: Office for National Statistics

Public Sector: Fraud

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 786W, on public sector: fraud, when the pilots referred to will finish; how their success will be assessed; and whether there are separate pilots looking at data sharing within the public sector specifically.

Francis Maude: holding answer 13 January 2014
	The pilots are being run between the Government and the private sector to identify potential benefits from an operational service. These are expected to complete in January 2015. The information from these pilots will be used to support the production of a business case on the development and delivery of an operational Counter Fraud Checking Service.
	There are various data-sharing projects across Government and the wider public sector that seek to access and share data in support of operational delivery, developing public services and improving efficiency.

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged 24 and under in (a) total and (b) each Government office region have been unemployed for over a year in each of the last 20 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged 24 and under in (a) total and (b) each Government office region have been unemployed for over a year in each of the last 20 years. 182556
	The table provides estimates for the number of 16 to 24 year olds who have been unemployed for 12 months or more by region and country of the UK. Estimates for the period 2005 to 2013 have been produced from the July to June Annual Population Survey (APS) with the earlier periods based upon a 4 quarter average from the quarterly Labour Force Survey (LFS). This is consistent with the preferred presentation of statistics of regional unemployment by age and duration as used in the Regional Labour Market Statistical Bulletins.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS and LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. These are indicated by the guide to quality in the table.
	A copy of the table will be placed in the Library of the House.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding was allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading borough council and (b) West Berkshire council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Jennifer Willott: The Department already publishes details of all payments and funding irrespective of value as part of the Department's commitment to transparency.
	Details can be found on the BIS website or on data.gov.uk using the following links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data
	or
	http://data.gov.uk/data/openspending-browse
	For ease, I can say that no payments or funding has been made directly to West Berkshire council by the Department and only one payment of £1,214 was made to Reading borough council in the 2012/13 financial year in respect of a consultation roadshow for the 2014-20 EU funding programme. No other payment or funding has been made.
	The Department's agencies will respond separately.
	Letter from Tim Moss, dated 8 January 2014
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 7 January 2014, UIN 182166 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House has never allocated any funds to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 9 January 2014
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 07th January 2014, to the Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The IPO has not allocated any funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council in any of 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 or 2013-14 to date.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 9 January 2014
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Questions tabled on 7 January 2014, UIN 182166 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Met Office has allocated no funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council during the period in question.
	Letter from Barbara Spicer, dated 9 January 2014
	The Skills Funding Agency (and the Learning and Skills Council prior to April 2010) has responsibility for funding post-19 further education and skills training.
	Funding allocations for the 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 funding years to Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council are provided in the following tables. The funding allocations to Reading Borough Council are set out in table 1 and funding allocations to West Berkshire Council are set out in table 2.
	The values provided are actual funding received to date from Skills Funding Agency. Adult Skills funding includes: Adult Skills Budget, Additional Learning Support, Discretionary Learning Support and Community Learning. Funding received for 24+ Advanced Learning Loans facility is the responsibility of the Skills Funding Agency and is paid by the Student Loans Company.
	
		
			 Table 1. Funding to Reading borough council 
			 £ 
			  Adult Skills 24+ Advanced Leaning Loans 
			 2010/11 1,637,617 0 
			 2011/12 1,469,014 0 
			 2012/13 1,513,397 0 
			 2013/14 601,317 3,955 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2. Funding to West Berkshire council 
			 £ 
			  Adult Skills 24+ Advanced Leaning Loans 
			 2010/11 473,223 0 
			 2011/12 473,571 0 
			 2012/13 474,902 0 
			 2013/14 209,615 0 
		
	
	Letter from Richard Judge, dated 9 January 2014
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.
	The Insolvency Service is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Insolvency Service has not allocated any funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council in any of 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 or 2013-14 to date.
	Letter from Ed Lester, dated 9 January 2014
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 182166 tabled on 7 January 2014 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.
	I can confirm that Land Registry have not paid any funds to either Reading Borough Council or West Berkshire Council during the periods listed above.
	I hope that you find this information useful.
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 9 January 2014
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, “if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date”.
	The answer is that Ordnance Survey makes no financial contributions to these councils.
	If you have any further questions, please let me know.
	I hope this information is helpful.
	Letter from David Parker, dated January 2014
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to ask if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.
	The UK Space Agency was established on 1 April 2011 and is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It has not provided any funding to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in 2011-12, 2012-13 or 2013-14 to date.
	Letter from Sarah Glasspool, dated 13 January 2014
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO), an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 7 January 2014, asking the BIS Secretary of State for details of funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to a) Reading Borough Council and b) West Berkshire Council in i) 2010-11, ii) 2011-12, iii) 2012-13 and iv) 2013-14 to date.
	No funds have been allocated by NMO to these councils during the time periods in question.

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many objections were received by the Registrar of Companies to companies being struck from the Register in each of the years ending 31 March from 2007 to 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The number of objections received by the Registrar of Companies to companies being struck from the register in each of the years ending 31 March from 2007 to 2013 inclusive is as follows:
	
		
			 Ending 31 March each year Number of objections 
			 2007 7,283 
			 2008 12,576 
			 2009 76,300 
			 2010 83,720 
			 2011 116,868 
			 2012 136,239

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the companies struck from the Register of Companies in each of the years ending 31 March from 2007 to 2013 were removed as a result of action initiated by the Registrar of Companies; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The number of companies struck from the Register of Companies in each of the years ending 31 March from 2007 to 2013 as a result of action initiated by the Registrar of Companies is as follows:
	
		
			 Ending 31 March each year Number struck off 
			 2007 89,153 
			 2008 93,026 
			 2009 92,578 
			 2010 317,660 
			 2011 181,172 
			 2012 129,952 
			 2013 131,481

Company Law

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the Kagalovsky and Wilcox v Balmore Invest and others [2013] EWHC 3876 (QB) case of September 2013 on the efficacy of the UK's laws pertaining to shell companies; and if he will make a statement.

Jennifer Willott: The case is currently before the court. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to comment.

Electric Vehicles

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the publication, Driving success—a strategy for growth and sustainability in the UK automotive sector, published in July 2013, what progress UKH2 Mobility made in producing a business case for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles by the end of 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: UKH2Mobility is a joint industry-Government project in which three Government Departments (BIS, DECC and DFT through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles) have been participating. The project aims to evaluate the potential for hydrogen for passenger vehicle transport in the UK and to identify what it will take to position the UK as an early market for the commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles from 2015.
	Following the completion of the evaluation phase and publication of the report in February 2013, UKH2Mobility has been working in Phase 2 to develop a potential business plan for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and the associated refuelling infrastructure in the UK. Key areas of work have included improving the understanding of the early customer proposition, developing options for securing the initial investment in hydrogen refuelling stations, and identifying mechanisms to ensure a pathway to production of green hydrogen.
	The UKH2Mobility project has developed an outline business plan, as targeted by end 2013. This includes some potential options and choices for both Government and industry stakeholders and these will be considered by participants over the next few months.
	In addition, the Government have launched a call for evidence on measures to support the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles in 2015-20, using the additional £500 million committed in this year's spending round. Any support from Government for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and the associated refuelling infrastructure will be determined in the context of that wider package of support.

Secondment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individuals employed by (a) major UK utility companies, (b) Energy UK and (c) any related energy utility organisation were seconded to his Department in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Jennifer Willott: Available records indicate that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not hosted any individuals on secondment from any utility or energy company since May 2010.

Trade Promotion

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of his Department's Britain is Great advertising campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that campaign.

Matthew Hancock: The Business is GREAT Britain campaign launched on 6 November 2013. To date the cost to the Department on development and production of the creative for the campaign and advertising is £1,401,291.
	The campaign is progressing well. Since launch on 6 November, there has been increased confidence that Britain is backing small businesses from 30% to 37% (based on polling of 697 small businesses after the first four weeks of the campaign).
	Half of businesses interviewed felt that they had taken some action as a result of the campaign—these actions included getting advice, discussing the campaign within their networks, visiting business websites or started to develop a long-term plan.
	Overall campaign awareness has reached 18%. This early figure is very good in comparison to similar spending campaigns.
	The campaign research highlights a disconnect between how small businesses feel about their own capabilities and how supported they feel by Britain/Government. This reconfirms the need for the campaign to demonstrate the value that Britain and the Government place on small businesses in Britain.
	The campaign performance is much stronger amongst those respondents who recognise it, which suggests this will improve as recognition builds. Messages take time to bed in so we need to ensure there is an opportunity for repeat exposure to build impact and generate positive response.

Trade Unions

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Prime Minister's contribution on 20 November 2013, Official Report, column 1224, if he will place the terms of reference for the review into union intimidation and a list of members of the review body in the Library; and what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) the Trades Union Congress, (ii) the Confederation of British Industry and (iii) other organisations in connection with the review to date.

Jennifer Willott: The full details of the review will be announced in due course, once they have been finalised. I will be happy to place the terms of reference and details of those undertaking the review in the libraries of the House, once they have been announced. Ministers and officials in the Department meet routinely with the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and other representative bodies. Whilst we have not held meetings to specifically discuss this review of industrial disputes, there has been some discussion of the review with the TUC and CBI, as part of our routine engagement.

Urenco

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on external consultants to advise on the proposed sale of the Government's stake in Urenco.

Michael Fallon: Responsibility for Urenco transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from the Department of Energy and Climate Change in February 2013.
	To date, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has spent a total of £138,972 on external consultants to advise on the proposed sale of Urenco. In addition, the Department has spent a total of £2,032,389 on specialist technical, financial and legal advice.
	We will continue to ensure that costs associated with consultants and external advisers are closely managed.

Urenco

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the economic consequences of selling the Government's stake in Urenco.

Michael Fallon: On 22 April 2013, the Government announced our decision to move forward preparations for the sale of all or part of our one-third shareholding in Urenco. It is Government policy not to continue to hold shares in companies where the shareholding itself does not deliver any policy objective.
	No final decision to sell has yet been taken. Any final decision will be dependent on achieving value for money for the taxpayer, informed by a thorough economic assessment of any agreed sale proposition.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Action Point 12 of the Government's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, published in August 2013, how many export opportunities through the High Value Opportunities programme for the UK offshore wind industry have been provided; and how many companies have been provided with practical support through that programme.

Michael Fallon: There are currently offshore wind High Value Opportunities programmes in China, India and Taiwan involving 13 separate projects (eight in China, one in India and four in Taiwan). We have shared details of the opportunities available to UK companies and provided practical support to 46 companies (20 in China, six in India, and 20 in Taiwan).

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Action Point 13 of the Government's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, published in August 2013, how much funding is available as part of the offshore wind manufacturing funding scheme for England; whether the (a) funds available under the scheme and (b) scope of residence have changed since the publication of the strategy; and how much funding was provided to companies as part of the scheme in August to December 2013.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
	The offshore wind manufacturing funding scheme closed to new applicants on 15 October 2013. There have been no changes to the scheme since the publication of the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy.
	Owing to the confidential nature of commercial negotiations we cannot comment on the status of potential applications to the scheme. We are in discussions with a number of companies interested in investing in the UK as their projects progress.
	Under the Grant for Business Investment scheme, information on grant offers for sums greater than £75,000 is normally published following the payment of the first instalment of the grant, including the name and location of the recipient of the grant and the size of the grant offered.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Action Point 19 of the Government's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, published in August 2013, what progress has been made in delivering a test and demonstration leasing programme to facilitate successful demonstration of technology breakthroughs; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Crown Estate announced the launch of its test and demonstration leasing programme in June 2013. It has since completed the invitation to tender process and will make an announcement about specific projects later in the year.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Action Point 21 of the Government's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, published in August 2013, what progress has been made in streamlining the consenting process for testing and demonstration of offshore technologies; and what discussions took place to implement this action point with (a) the Marine Management Organisation, (b) the Crown Estate and (c) other partners in the period August to December 2013.

Gregory Barker: We continue to monitor progress on testing and demonstration, including consenting. The Crown Estate is taking forward a leasing programme to encourage further investment in a range of offshore wind test and demonstration projects, including a leasing round for floating offshore wind technology.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to Action Point 11 of the Government's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, published in August 2013, whether the (a) supply chain gap analysis and (b) high level assessment of the UK supply chain capability have been published.

Michael Fallon: The Crown Estate published ‘Offshore Wind: A 2013 Supply Chain Health Check’ in November 2013. A complementary paper on the UK supply chain's capabilities and opportunities will be published in early 2014 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Cuadrilla Resources

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish all correspondence between his Department and Cuadrilla over the last 12 months.

Michael Fallon: Matters about which the Department and companies correspond are commercially confidential and publication of such correspondence would not be appropriate.
	There has been a recent request under freedom of information legislation for correspondence between the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil and Cuadrilla and we have released relevant material in response to it. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/correspondence-and-meetings-between-cuadrilla-and-the-office-of-unconventional-gas-and-oil

Electricity

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to increase the safety margin of electricity supply above peak demand.

Michael Fallon: The Government, National Grid and Ofgem are taking co-ordinated short and medium-term actions to ensure that, as capacity margins are likely to tighten in the middle of the decade, any risks to security of supply are minimised.
	National Grid already has capacity available through the Short-Term Operating Reserve to keep the system in balance. This capacity is there as back-up in the case of unexpected events.
	In addition, on 19 December 2013, Ofgem approved a request from National Grid to extend the existing system balancing tools to manage any short-term risks in the middle of the decade.
	In the medium-term, the Government are legislating for a Capacity Market, which will deliver capacity from 2018-19, subject to state aid clearance. This will help drive the new investments we need to ensure sufficient capacity is available.

Electricity Generation

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average cost of generating 1 MWH of electricity by (a) offshore wind, (b) onshore wind, (c) gas, (d) oil, (e) coal and (f) nuclear power.

Michael Fallon: DECC has published levelised costs estimates of various generation technologies on the DECC website since 2010. The levelised cost of a particular generation technology is the ratio of the total costs (including construction and operating costs) of a generic plant to the total amount of electricity expected to be generated over the plant's lifetime (per megawatt hour). They do not include revenues or support payments. These are available on the following website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-generation-cost-projections
	DECC's most recently published figures for current and future levelised costs are available in the following report Electricity Generation Costs (December 2013):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269888/131217_Electricity _Generation_costs_report_December_2013_Final.pdf
	Table 1 as follows is taken from this report, and shows a range of levelised cost estimates for projects starting pre-development in 2013 and 2019 for selected technologies, using a 10% discount rate. Please see the report for more information, including cost estimates for new coal equipped with carbon capture and storage. Please note that we have not published levelised cost estimates for oil plants.
	
		
			 Table 1: Levelised cost estimates for selected electricity generation technologies, 10% discount rate, sensitivities around high/low capital costs and fuel prices 
			 £/MWh 
			  Projects starting pre-development in 2013 Projects starting pre-development in 2019 
			 Onshore Wind >5 MW UK 80-125 79-123 
			 Offshore R2 Wind 107-139 101-132 
		
	
	
		
			 Offshore R3 Wind 113-150 104-141 
			 CCGT 58-102 63-109 
			 Nuclear 78-107 70-94 
			 Coal-ASC with oxy combustion CCS (FOAK) - 80-143 
			 Coal IGCC with CCS (FOAK) - 96-183 
			 CCGT with post combustion CCS (FOAK) - 64-128 
		
	
	Levelised cost estimates for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, discount rate and other drivers and this means that there is significant uncertainty around these estimates.

Fuel Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of fuel poor households in England are pre-payment customers.

Gregory Barker: The number and proportion of fuel poor households in England under the low income high costs (LIHC) definition, who use pre-payment for gas or electricity for the latest year of available data, 2011, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Prepayment Number of fuel poor households (£000) Proportion of fuel poor households (Percentage) 
			 Gas 467 19.6 
			 Electricity 592 24.8

Fuel Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (a) how many and (b) what proportion of fuel poor households in England were pre-payment customers in each year since 2007.

Gregory Barker: The number and proportion of fuel poor households in England under the low income high costs (LIHC) definition, who use pre-payment for gas or electricity is shown in the following table for each year of available data since 2007:
	
		
			  Prepayment meter for gas Prepayment meter for electricity 
			  Number of fuel poor households (£000) Proportion of fuel poor households (Percentage) Number of fuel poor households (£000) Proportion of fuel poor households (Percentage) 
			 2007 455 19.3 575 24.4 
			 2008 493 20.2 619 25.4 
			 2009 523 21.0 670 27.0 
			 2010 529 21.4 669 27.1 
			 2011 467 19.6 592 24.8

Green Deal Scheme: North East

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal assessments have been carried out in (a) the North East and (b) Northumberland in the last 12 months.

Gregory Barker: The Department publishes geographical breakdowns of Green Deal assessments as Official Statistics every quarter. The latest release was published on 19 December and covers the period up to the end of September 2013. Table 1.6a presents the number of Green Deal assessments that took place in each local authority and region:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-september-2013
	There have been 2,594 Green Deal assessments lodged for properties in the north-east up to 30th September 2013, of which 316 were in Northumberland.

Nuclear Power Stations: Emergencies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the adequacy and effectiveness of emergency evacuation plans following the release of significant levels of radiation from nuclear power plants sited in areas prone to flooding.

Michael Fallon: The protection of nuclear sites from flood risks is a well-established aspect of nuclear safety within the UK. Nuclear site operators are responsible for undertaking flood risk assessments and providing and maintaining control measures to ensure their sites remain safe from faults and damage arising from flooding.
	Licensed nuclear site operators also develop and maintain emergency plans in accordance with their site license conditions and Regulation 7 of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR). Similarly, detailed off-site radiation emergency plans are developed by local authorities hosting nuclear sites in accordance with Regulation 9 of REPPIR. Such plans include the application of a range of counter-measures, one of which is evacuation. The local authority must ensure that the off-site emergency plans are resilient to a range of weather conditions.
	The emergency response plans are reviewed and tested on a regular basis, to assess their accuracy and effectiveness, and are continually updated and improved. The Office for Nuclear Regulation is responsible for ensuring that such reviews and tests take place in line with REPPIR. Further information about REPPIR is available on the Health and Safety Executive's website:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/radiation/ionising/reppir.htm
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) also continually assess the UK's overall preparedness in terms of planning for, and being able to respond to, nuclear emergencies.
	Following the events at Fukushima in Japan in 2011, ONR carried out a detailed assessment of the implications of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami for the UK (the Weightman Report), which included analysis and recommendations, concerning preparedness for severe and prolonged emergencies. The 2011 report and the assessment of progress against the report can be found on the Health and Safety Executive's website:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/fukushima/

Plutonium

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to assess the credibility and value for money of technologies available for re-use of plutonium in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The Government's position on plutonium management, as set out in our December 2011 consultation response, is that converting the plutonium into MOX is the most credible and technologically mature option for reuse, but that we remain open to any alternative proposals that offer better value to the taxpayer.
	As part of the work to consider alternative proposals, the NDA has been working closely with both GE Hitachi on their Prism reactor and with Candu on their EC6 reactors. NDA has prepared advice on these alternatives as well as advice on the reuse as MOX option for DECC to consider as part of our policy development process for taking this work forward.
	The NDA's advice will help us to understand the technical and commercial risks associated with all the options and form part of our considerations about how we should progress this work. In due course the NDA will publish its planned public version of that advice.
	As we noted in our 2011 consultation response, there will be many steps to go through before we reach the point of taking a final decision, while this is expected to include a competitive tendering and procurement process to help secure best value to the taxpayer, only when the Government are confident that our preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will we be in a position to proceed.

Power Failures

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with energy companies on ensuring that electricity supplies are not disrupted to the extent that they were over the Christmas period in the event of further adverse weather events.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Baroness Verma, and I met the Distribution Network Operators, Energy Networks Association, Ofgem and Energy Emergencies Executive Committee on 8 January to discuss the recent disruptions to electricity supply as a result of severe weather. At that meeting the Secretary of State commissioned a review of the response. The review will focus on communications with household energy customers, necessary resources to be able to cope with widespread disruption, and the compensation process. There was also agreement to investigate as quickly as possible the setting up of an emergency telephone number which households can call if they experience a power cut. This review will report back to the Secretary of State within two months.

Power Failures: Disclosure of Information

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will require companies generating electricity to provide details of their customers to power distribution companies to assist in emergency re-connections following disruptions by natural events such as the recent storms.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under secretary of State and I met the Distribution Network Operators, Energy Networks Association, Ofgem and Energy Emergencies Executive Committee on Wednesday 8 January to discuss the recent disruptions to electricity supply as a result of severe weather. At that meeting the Secretary of State commissioned a review of the response. The review will focus on communications with household energy customers, necessary resources to be able to cope with widespread disruption, and the compensation process: that will include the issue of sharing customer data. There was also agreement to investigate as quickly as possible the setting up of an emergency telephone number which households can call if they experience a power cut. This review will report back to the Secretary of State within two months.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what weighting his Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change, when evaluating contracts, places weightings for environmental factors and social factors on a case-by-case basis depending on the requirements listed in the specification of that procurement.
	(a) The location of a company and its workforce is not taken into account, provided the distance does not impact on the results of the contract, usually this can be accommodated by a supplier having an outlet or office within the UK.
	(b) The criteria applied in connection with environmental factors will depend on the circumstances and specific procurement requirements. The Department requires contractors to have regard for the environmental impact of delivering goods and services. There is also a general requirement for suppliers to provide information related to the environmental impact and evidence of their compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
	(c) The Department is making it easier for all types of organisations to bid for work including social enterprises through early market engagement, the use of Lean Standard Operating procedures and increasingly the use of the Open procedure. For work with a value under the European Threshold, Contract Finder is used to advertise work which also enables Social Enterprises to apply.
	(d) The Department does require references when advertising a contract opportunity, which will take into account past performance. The purpose of this is to ensure the company is capable of completing the work proposed in the specification.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what value of contracts procured by his Department in the last five years was carried out below EU thresholds.

Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Contracts of the Department are published on the Cabinet Office Website which can be found at:
	https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
	The Department would be able to provide further contract information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of his Department's contracts have been let to companies with (a) one to five, (b) six to 49, (c) 50 to 250 and (d) more than 250 staff.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is committed to increasing its direct and indirect spend with SMEs. However, we do not hold contract or company expenditure data in the format requested. DECC is working with the Cabinet Office spend analysis team to improve the breakdown of expenditure data. This information may be available in future but currently is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	DECC does collect combined SME expenditure and as a proportion of total procurement the expenditure was 13.02% in the financial year 2012-13 and 10.02% in the current financial year to September 2013.
	Contracts of the Department are published on the Cabinet Office website, which can be found at:
	https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion and value of his Department's contracts have been let (a) under the restricted procedure, (b) by the open procedure, (c) via framework agreements and (d) via a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change abides by Cabinet Office policy sourcing goods and services via Crown Commercial Service framework agreements wherever possible. DECC uses the open procedure to maximise opportunities for SMEs unless there is a strong justification for an alternative procurement route. Pre-qualification questionnaires are not used for procurements with a value lower than £100,000.
	Contracts of the Department are published on the Cabinet Office website, which can be found at:
	https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
	The Department would be able to provide further contract information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Annuities

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training on annuities and alternatives to annuities is provided to staff at the Pensions Advisory Service.

Steve Webb: This is a matter for the CEO at the Pensions Advisory Service and she will write to the hon. Member accordingly.

Employment and Support Allowance

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 120W, on employment and support allowance (ESA), from what date reinstated ESA claims will be backdated.

Esther McVey: Where an employment support allowance award terminates because someone does not have limited capability for work following a work capability assessment, it will be reinstated only after there has been either (i) a successful application for mandatory reconsideration or (ii) the mandatory reconsideration is unsuccessful and the claimant has lodged an appeal with Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). For the former reinstatement will be from the date of the termination decision; for the latter, once the Department has been advised by HMCTS that an appeal has been made, ESA can be reinstated, in which case it would be backdated to the date of the termination decision. In either situation, if any other benefit has been received in the meantime, for example jobseeker’s allowance, this will be offset against the employment and support allowance due.

Employment: Young People

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to create more employment opportunities for young people in (a) Essex and (b) Chelmsford constituency.

Esther McVey: Our Youth Contract, worth nearly £1 billion, builds on the substantial support already available to help unemployed young people enter work. The contract includes more intensive support for all 18 to 24-year-olds, work experience and sector-based work academy places, and a new wage incentive scheme delivered through the Work programme.
	In Essex in the year to November 2013 we have seen a reduction in the youth unemployment claimant count of 1,710, a 23% fall and in Chelmsford for the same period we have seen a reduction in the youth unemployment claimant count of 180, a 24% fall.

Funeral Payments

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of low-cost funeral payments in the transfer of the social fund budgeting and crisis loans arrangements to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Social fund budgeting loans have not been transferred to local authorities; they remain the responsibility of the Department and continue to be available to eligible claimants in receipt of an appropriate qualifying benefit and can be used to help with the cost of a funeral. Similarly, national social fund funeral payments also continue to be available from the Department to eligible claimants in receipt of an appropriate qualifying benefit. Crisis loans, which were never available for funeral arrangements, have been abolished and funding transferred to local authorities for new, better targeted local provision.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the publication of Housing Benefit bulletin U1/2014: removal of the spare room subsidy on 9 January 2014, what assessment he has made of the number of people who have wrongfully had their housing benefit reduced.

Esther McVey: The Department does not hold all the detailed information needed to make a precise estimate of the numbers affected. On the information currently available, we estimate the numbers affected are likely to be fewer than 5,000, but there is considerable uncertainty around this estimate.
	It is for local authorities to administer housing benefit. In due course they may have a clearer picture as to the numbers affected.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the publication of Housing Benefit bulletin U1/2014: removal of the spare room subsidy on 9 January 2014, what steps he will take to ensure those who have been charged in error are reimbursed.

Esther McVey: Local authorities are responsible for administering housing benefit. The guidance issued by the Department sets out the action local authorities should take and advises that affected cases should be reimbursed.

Jobcentre Plus: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) adults and (b) young people have been helped to find employment by Chelmsford Jobcentre Plus in each of the last three years.

Esther McVey: Every claimant is supported by their local jobcentre to find work. In the last three years the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Chelmsford has fallen by over 600, or 19%. A breakdown of the figures is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Number of JSA claimants in Chelmsford 
			 As at November each year Aged 18 to 24 Aged 25+ 
			 2010 935 2,410 
			 2011 1,035 2,530 
			 2012 995 2,445 
			 2013 780 1,945 
		
	
	Claimants are not required to tell us their reason for leaving JSA so it is not possible to say exactly how many move into employment each year. The 2011 Destinations Survey showed that, nationally, 68% move into work.

Personal Independence Payment: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex have received personal independence payment since April 2013.

Michael Penning: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas), on 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 284W.

Personal Independence Payment: Staffordshire

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many personal independence payment applications from terminally ill people in north Staffordshire (a) are currently being processed, (b) have been processed and (c) are outstanding; and what the time scale is for processing such applications under special rules procedures.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas) on 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 284W.
	Although personal independence payment (PIP) is a new benefit, and the Department does not have a target for completion of claims while processes are bedding in, we do deal urgently with special rules claims for terminally ill claimants. We continue to work with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve our service for terminally ill claimants as I said at the Work and Pensions Select Committee recently.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance has been issued by his Department to decision makers on the awarding of short-term benefit advances.

Esther McVey: Decision makers are provided with a range of written guidance products and support, including training and desk aids, to help them decide whether a short-term benefit advance is appropriate.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 240W, on jobseeker's allowance, how many short-term benefit advances were issued in each month from April to December 2013.

Esther McVey: We previously advised in the period April to December 2013 our Decision Makers awarded 60,749 short-term benefit advances to eligible benefit claimants. The following table gives a breakdown of the awards made each month.
	
		
			 STBA awarded between 2 April 2013 to 3 January 2014 
			  Number 
			 April 5,489 
			 May 6,318 
			 June 6,190 
			 July 8,935 
		
	
	
		
			 August 6,993 
			 September 8,214 
			 October 6,051 
			 November 6,017 
			 December 6,542

Social Security Benefits

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from where the Enquiry Service had planned to operate; and which properties are no longer to be used for the development of this project.

Esther McVey: At the time of its closure, the Department's Enquiry Service was delivered from DWP Contact Centres at the following locations:
	Bootle; Bristol; Chorlton; Derby; Exeter; Halifax; Lincoln; Makerfield; Marton Mere; Middlesbrough; Newcastle; Newport; Norwich; Pembroke Dock; Sheffield; Stockport and Torquay.
	Delivery was also planned at the following DWP Contact Centres:
	Bangor; Blackburn; Coventry; Dundee; Garston; Grimsby; Paisley; Poole; Southend; Springburn; Taunton; Telford.
	All staff deployed, or planned to be deployed, to the Enquiry Service have been reallocated to alternative service lines. There are no further plans for future development of this project.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the effect on projected levels of disposable income of households with at least one adult in work who are (a) with children and (b) without children of freezing of the work allowance in universal credit in each of the next three financial years.

Esther McVey: Once fully rolled out, 3 million households, of which 1.8 million are families with children and 1.2 million are families without children, gain on average £174 per month (in 2012-13 prices) from universal credit after taking account of the work allowance freeze. Transitional protection will ensure that there will be no cash losers under universal credit, providing their circumstances remain the same.

Universal Credit: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people claiming universal credit in (a) Essex and (b) Chelmsford constituency in April 2014.

Esther McVey: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions set out the plans for the next stage of delivery of universal credit on 5 December 2013.
	Actual case load figures at any point going forward will be influenced by the detailed implementation planning currently being undertaken, set against a backdrop of overall economic conditions.
	We are following guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority, and statisticians within DWP and the Office for National Statistics are working closely to ensure that information on universal credit claimants can be included within the claimant count as soon as possible.
	Our strategy for the release of statistics is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics

Work Programme: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Work programme in supporting those in long-term unemployment in (a) Essex and (b) Chelmsford constituency.

Esther McVey: Performance assessment has not been made for individual constituencies or counties.
	The most recent official statistics on the Work programme were released on 19 December 2014 and can be found through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/work-programme-statistics--2

Work Programme: North East

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Work programme in supporting long-term unemployed people in (a) the north-east and (b) Northumberland.

Esther McVey: Performance assessment has not been made for these particular geographic areas.
	The most recent official statistics on the Work programme were released on 19 December 2013 and can be found through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/work-programme-statistics--2

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the economic and industrial effect of the current instability in Bangladesh.

Hugh Robertson: Violence and instability are damaging to Bangladesh's reputation, economy, and to people's livelihoods. As the largest cumulative investor in Bangladesh, and the largest bilateral grant donor, the UK supports the people of Bangladesh in their aspirations for a more stable, democratic and prosperous future. We are therefore concerned that the IMF expects growth to fall from 6% in 2013 to 5.5% in 2014, partly due to the uncertainty and the impact of elections.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the legitimacy of the recent elections in Bangladesh.

Hugh Robertson: As the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, noted in her statement of 6 January, the election was called in accordance with Bangladesh's constitution. But, like others in the international community, the UK is disappointed that voters in more than half the constituencies did not have the opportunity to express their will at the ballot box and that turnout in most other constituencies was low.
	The UK believes that the true mark of a mature, functioning democracy is peaceful elections that express the genuine will of the voters. We have therefore also called on all political parties to work together to strengthen democratic accountability as an urgent priority and to build the willingness and capacity to hold future participatory elections, without the fear of intimidation or reprisals.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings his Department has held with the Indian Government on their assessment of the elections in Bangladesh.

Hugh Robertson: Discussion of regional issues, including Bangladesh, forms part of our regular and ongoing dialogue with the Government of India. I refer you to the statement issued by the Government of India on 5 January for their assessment of the election.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure freedom of movement of opposition leaders in Bangladesh.

Hugh Robertson: The UK has consistently called for all parties to refrain from confrontational action such as violence, disruption, disproportionate legal action and political harassment. Following his call on the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on 30 December, our high commissioner in Dhaka raised concerns about the disproportionate security presence surrounding her residence. This has since been removed. We are following the detention of opposition leaders closely and have urged the Government of Bangladesh to ensure that due process is followed.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to facilitate dialogue between opposing political parties in Bangladesh.

Hugh Robertson: Prior to the 5 January election, the UK urged all sides to resolve their differences through meaningful dialogue and to create the conditions conducive to free, fair and credible elections. Visiting Bangladesh on 12 December, the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, encouraged PM Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to continue the process of dialogue initiated by UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez Taranco. We continue to urge the new Government and all parties to work together to strengthen democratic accountability as an urgent priority and to build the willingness and capacity to hold future participatory elections free from intimidation and reprisals.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the decision not to send UK election observers to monitor the Bangladeshi elections; and what his policy is on sending observers to future such elections.

Hugh Robertson: Only four international observers, from India and Bhutan, observed the 5 January election. After careful consideration, the EU decided on 20 December to halt preparations for the deployment of an EU Election Observation Mission, noting that the main political forces in Bangladesh had been unable to create the necessary conditions for transparent, inclusive and credible elections. The EU also stated, however, that it nonetheless remained ready to observe elections should conditions allow.
	Domestic observer groups, including some members of the Election Working Group (an independent grouping of NGOs), did undertake some monitoring activities. The UK is one of a number of countries supporting The Asia Foundation to build the Election Working Group's capacity to observe and report on election conduct and preparations.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings the British high commissioner in Bangladesh has had with the Bangladeshi Government to encourage the stability of that country.

Hugh Robertson: Our high commissioner in Bangladesh has engaged extensively with representatives of the Government and with all political parties in Bangladesh. Since the 5 January election, this has included Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and members of her new Cabinet and the Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Begum Zia. He has urged all parties to act in line with the interests of the people of Bangladesh; to work together to strengthen democratic accountability as an urgent priority; and to build the willingness and capacity to hold future participatory elections free from intimidation and reprisals.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the effect that Gibraltar border delays have had on tourism and visitor numbers to Gibraltar over the last four months.

David Lidington: Immigration and related issues are within the constitutional competence of HM Government of Gibraltar. The UK Government therefore do not hold detailed information on the effects of delays at the Gibraltar border on tourism and visitor numbers to Gibraltar. HM Government of Gibraltar will hold information on these subjects and we remain in close contact with them. We are issuing formal protests to the Spanish Government regarding all disproportionate delays reported at the Gibraltar-Spain border. We are continuing to press the Spanish authorities to act without delay on the European Commission's recommendations. If implemented, we believe these recommendations would reduce the delays. The Prime Minister raised the disproportionate border delays with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, on 20 December.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on plans by the Government of Gibraltar to establish a state-owned bank in that territory.

David Lidington: Banking and associated legislation in Gibraltar are within the constitutional competence of HM Government of Gibraltar. The UK Government therefore have no policy on plans by HM Government of Gibraltar to establish a state-owned bank.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the local economy of the proposed 15 per cent duty on bookmakers' online winnings in Gibraltar.

David Lidington: We are aware of the important role that remote gambling plays in Gibraltar's economy and we continue to engage with HM Government of Gibraltar and Gibraltar-based operators in order to ensure that the potential impact of the reforms to remote gambling on Gibraltar's economy are fully understood. In his new year message, Chief Minister Picardo noted the positive dialogue with HM Treasury and the Department of Culture Media and Sport on this issue.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the Government have made on incorporating Gibraltar into EU aviation legislation.

David Lidington: We continue to press for the inclusion of Gibraltar airport in EU aviation legislation as it comes up for negotiation. Gibraltar airport has been included in all new and revised aviation legislation enacted since the 2006 Cordoba Agreement. We are clear that Gibraltar must continue to be included. We cannot accept a return to the pre-2006 practice of suspending Gibraltar airport from EU aviation measures.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect that gathering of information on the Gibraltar border situation by the Government, in collaboration with the Gibraltar Government, and the forwarding of that information to the European Commission has had on reducing border delays.

David Lidington: The UK Government, in collaboration with HM Government of Gibraltar, submitted information to the European Commission on the delays at the Gibraltar-Spain border. The Commission subsequently followed up with a technical visit on 25 September, which resulted in recommendations to the Spanish Government on ways to improve the functioning of the border. HM Government of Gibraltar have taken action to implement their recommendations from the Commission and we fully expect Spain to do the same.

Greece

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his Greek counterpart.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Evangelos Venizelos, for a working lunch on 28 November 2013.
	It was a productive meeting during which the two Ministers discussed a wide range of priorities, including: Greek plans for their EU presidency; migration; EU reform; Cyprus; and EU enlargement.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs also underlined the British Government’s commitment to working closely with the Greek Government during their presidency of the EU in 2014.
	I delivered the same message when I visited Athens and met Mr Venizelos, on 5 November 2013. We had a constructive meeting at which we discussed: Greece’s presidency of the EU; EU enlargement, particularly in the Western Balkans; and steps towards a Cyprus settlement.

Gulf States

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what British policy in the Gulf is; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The UK has a deep and strong relationship with its Gulf Co-operation Council partners. The Gulf Initiative, launched in 2010, has sought to co-ordinate and develop the relationship further. In its recent report, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee broadly endorsed Government policy towards the region.
	We continue to look at ways to strengthen our relationship with the Gulf states.

Hezbollah

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the acquisition of Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles from the Government of Syria by Hezbollah.

Hugh Robertson: The UK is aware of media reports that the Syrian Government ordered the coastal defence version of the Yakhont system from Russia in 2007 and received the first batteries in early 2011. Russia has continued to supply weaponry to a regime that has shown itself to be incapable of using its weapons systems proportionately or discriminately. Since 15 December, the regime has continued to use SCUD missiles and barrel bombs on Aleppo, leaving more than 700 dead, many of whom were children.

Hezbollah

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the supply by Syria of Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles to Hezbollah; and what assessment he has made of whether such a supply would place Russia or Syria in breach of Article 11 of the arms trade treaty.

Hugh Robertson: The UK regularly raises with the Russian Government the issue of their continued supply of weapons to the Syrian Government. Russia has continued to supply weaponry to a regime that has shown itself to be incapable of using its weapons systems proportionately or discriminately, as is demonstrated by the regime's continued use of SCUD missiles and barrel bombs on Aleppo, leaving more than 700 dead, many of them children.
	Unfortunately neither Russia nor Syria has signed the arms trade treaty. Syria was one of only three states that sought to block the adoption of the treaty, despite an overwhelming global majority agreeing that the treaty was an important development for the international arms trade.

Iran

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on the proposed agreement with Iran on nuclear energy.

Hugh Robertson: UK officials regularly meet their Canadian counterparts to discuss Iran policy. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also has regular discussions with the Canadian Foreign Minister. Their most recent meeting was at the Manama dialogue in December 2013.

Iraq

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures taken by the international community to improve confidence in the Iraqi justice system and enhance the rule of law in that country.

Hugh Robertson: The Government's significant concerns about the Iraqi justice system were noted in the FCO Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report
	http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/human-rights-in-countries-of-concern/iraq/
	Problems include a continued overreliance on confession-based evidence, regular reports of individuals being arbitrarily detained and detained without access to legal counsel, and Iraq's increased use of the death penalty.
	The UK will continue to work with the UN and other international partners to support reform of the Iraqi justice system. Details of UK work can be found in the human rights report.

Israel

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities over the arrest and detention of Sireen Khudiri.

Hugh Robertson: Officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv have not made representations on this specific case. We understand that Ms Sireen Khudiri was released from Israeli detention on 8 January.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he raised the issues of (a) the Israeli Government’s approval of new housing units at the illegal settlements of Ofra and Karnei Shomron and (b) the commitment made by the UK and other EU member states at the Foreign Affairs Council on 14 December 2013 to monitor settlement expansion and its broader implications, and act accordingly with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 7 January 2014.

Hugh Robertson: On 10 January I issued a press statement expressing deep concern over Israel’s decision to announce further settlement building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The UK reiterates our opposition to Israeli settlements to the Israeli Government at every opportunity.
	On 16 December, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), along with 27 Foreign Ministers of the member states of the EU, unanimously warned against actions that undermine the current negotiations and deplored Israel’s continuous expansion of settlements.

Palestinians

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support an application for Palestinian membership of the International Olive Council.

Hugh Robertson: The Government have been clear that we believe the Palestinian focus should be on the US-led final status negotiations with Israel rather than upgrading their status in UN bodies or international organisations. The Palestinians are not pursuing an application for membership of the International Olive Council at the present time.

Palestinians

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Israel to end the blockade on Gaza; if he will work with other EU countries to press the Government of Israel to allow essential equipment and parts to be brought into Gaza for the building and operation of desalinisation and power plants; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We continue to make regular representations to the Israeli authorities to ease restrictions on Gaza, including on movement of people and goods to and from Gaza. We stress the damage that the Israeli restrictions are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians in Gaza and that supporting legal trade for Gazans is firmly in Israel's long-term interests.
	We have welcomed some recent positive developments, including the Israeli authorities' decision to again allow construction materials to be imported into Gaza for humanitarian projects from 10 December and reports on 18 December that six truckloads of electrical and mechanical equipment required for expansion of the desalination plant entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom.
	We are encouraging the Palestinian Authority, Israel and other interested parties to find both an immediate and long-term solution to Gaza's energy crisis. On 15 December, following a Qatari donation to the Palestinian Authority to fund the purchase of fuel for Gaza, Israel allowed 450,000 litres of industrial diesel to enter via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which enabled the Gaza power plant to restart partial operations for the first time since 1 November.

Syria

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role played by Russia in attempts to find a non-violent solution to the conflict in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The UK and Russia both attended the Geneva I conference on 30 June 2012. The Communiqué from that meeting called for a process to establish a mutually agreed political settlement in Syria, forming a Transitional Governing Body with full executive powers. The UN Security Council subsequently endorsed this approach through UN Security Council Resolution 2118 with UK and Russian support.
	The Geneva II process to implement the Geneva I Communiqué will start on 22 January 2014. We will encourage the Russian Government to use their influence over Assad's regime to deliver the conditions for success, including allowing full humanitarian access and stopping the regime's indiscriminate air attacks in civilian areas.

Syria

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote the protection and enhancement of civil society organisations in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The UK has provided over £20 million of non-humanitarian assistance to moderate opposition groups in Syria, including civil society. Our support is helping to build the capacity of civil society actors, including journalists and local councils, to address issues such as human rights, peace-building, transitional justice and good governance. Through our assistance, more than 300 Syrian journalists and activists have received training in order to help develop an independent Syrian media. Our assistance has also supported work with local councils and civil society groups within Syria to increase community engagement in addressing local conflicts.

Syria

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of aid to rebel factions in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Delivery of UK non-lethal equipment to the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army (SMC) in Syria has been put on hold. However the UK continues to provide very significant support to the moderate Syrian opposition.
	This financial year we have provided more than £20 million of non-lethal, non-humanitarian assistance to support the moderate opposition, including the National Coalition, who we recognise as the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people.
	This support is designed to enable the moderate Syrian opposition to help save lives and provides services to the Syrian population. It includes the provision of search and rescue equipment, generators, communications equipment, and technical and capacity-building support to the National Coalition and local councils.

Syria

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals for UK and allied military intervention in Syria in 2013 on relations between the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Hugh Robertson: The UK and Saudi Arabia enjoy a strong bilateral relationship. We share concerns about the situation in Syria and are working closely together as part of wider international efforts to address the crisis.

Syria

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the causes of radicalisation and sectarianisation in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: We are deeply concerned by the increasingly sectarian nature of the conflict, and the growing threat from terrorism and extremism. President Assad's actions include a deliberate attempt to stir up tensions in his efforts to hold on to power, and these actions are endangering the lives of all Syrians, irrespective of ethnic or religious background. We remain concerned by the growing influence of extremist groups operating in Syria, who have been able to gain a foothold as a result of the ongoing conflict. The UK has put its full support behind the National Coalition, who are committed to a pluralistic society and have condemned all forms of extremist ideology.

United Nations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the British agenda is for reform of the UN; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK has been and will continue to be a strong advocate of reforming the UN system, including UN specialised agencies. We believe the UN should do more to prioritise its activity and work to achieve the greatest possible results with its limited resources. We support the UN Secretary-General’s work to modernise the UN, which includes ensuring: that UN staff are employed as far as possible on front-line activity; performance management systems fully reflect international best practice; and the UN harnesses modern IT to drive efficiencies, including via more streamlined budgeting. The UK also continues to push for reforms to ensure the costs of UN activity are apportioned fairly among member states.
	The UK remains committed to reforming the UN Security Council so it is more reflective of the modern world—although we must ensure any reform does not reduce the Council’s ability to respond to threats to global peace and security. We support new permanent seats for Brazil, India, Germany and Japan, and permanent African representation.

World War I: Anniversaries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European and other international counterparts on the commemoration of the centenary of the first world war.

Mark Simmonds: There have been numerous discussions with European and international counterparts about the commemoration of the centenary of the first world war by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), his ministerial team and officials. We expect these discussions to continue and intensify as the start of the centenary approaches.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what budget has been provided for a national advertising campaign to alert the public to the new system of individual electoral registration.

Greg Clark: The national advertising campaign to raise public awareness of the new system of individual electoral registration will be provided by the Electoral Commission.
	The Commission currently forecasts that it will spend £9.13 million between 2013 and 2016 on an awareness campaign. This has been agreed by the Speaker's Committee.

Electoral Register

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has for introducing online electoral registration.

Greg Clark: Online registration will be enabled for the first time under the system of individual electoral registration. It will be possible for citizens to register online through the gov.uk website from June 2014 in England and Wales and September in Scotland.

Electoral Register

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what provision has been made for local authorities to register people through local databases.

Greg Clark: Electoral registration officers are able to use data held by their local authority in order to identify potential electors. With the transition to individual electoral registration in June 2014, all existing electors will be matched against records held by the DWP, and if successfully matched, ‘confirmed' on the register. Local authorities can also ‘confirm' their electors using local data.

Electoral Register

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what training electoral registration officers have received in preparation for the implementation of individual electoral registration.

Greg Clark: Training for electoral registration officers and their staff on new individual electoral registration (IER) processes commenced on 14 November 2013 in preparation for implementation on 10 June in England and Wales, and 19 September in Scotland. Lead trainers from over 180 local authorities have already been fully trained on IER processes and equipped with skills to help pass on this knowledge within their local authorities. Lead trainers from all authorities will have received training by the end of March. Electoral services staff will also receive training on the new electoral management software functionality by the end of March in England and Wales, and during June in Scotland.

HEALTH

Health/Social Care Integration

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the integration of health services with social care services.

Norman Lamb: In June we announced the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund, the biggest ever financial incentive for councils and the national health service to work together to deliver health and care. Our integration pioneers programme is supporting this by driving innovation and breaking down the barriers, sharing lessons across the country.

Dementia

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to tackle dementia.

Jeremy Hunt: In March 2012, the Prime Minister launched his Challenge on Dementia, which will deliver improved diagnosis rates, create one million Dementia Friends and more than double spending on research by 2015. The recent G8 summit demonstrated the global leadership the UK is providing on dementia.

Demographic Changes

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of demographic changes on the NHS.

Norman Lamb: Demographic changes are only one of many pressures faced by the national health service. The Department formally assesses the impact of all pressures, including demographic pressures, and offsetting efficiencies as part of spending review negotiations with HM Treasury. The most recent assessment in 2013 informed the settlement for 2015-16, where again NHS funding will be protected.

Out-of-Hospital Care: Elderly People

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made in improving out-of-hospital care for frail elderly people.

Jeremy Hunt: Our changes to the general practitioner (GP) contract for 2014-15 will mean that all over-75s will have a named GP responsible for their care.
	The Government will shortly be setting out plans to improve care for vulnerable older people, including how to better integrate out-of-hospital care.
	In addition, we have established a £3.8 billion Better Care Fund which gives local areas the platform to transform the way they deliver out-of-hospital care and provide effective collaboration between services so that patients receive seamless care.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the incidence of tuberculosis in the UK.

Jane Ellison: In 2012 in the United Kingdom a total of 8,751 cases of tuberculosis (TB) were reported. After two decades of rising TB rates in the UK, the incidence has stabilised over the past seven years. TB treatment completion rates have steadily improved to 83% for patients completing treatment in 2012. Certain sub-groups, such as new migrants, ethnic minority groups and those with social risk factors have particularly high rates.
	Public Health England is leading a national oversight group for TB, which brings together partners from the Department, NHS England, local government, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, clinicians, British Thoracic Society, academia and TB Alert to develop its strategy for TB to be published in March 2014.

Care Costs: Older People

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of measures to protect older people from the cost of care.

Norman Lamb: We have continued to develop and increase national information and advice on care and support on NHS Choices. This provides practical information on the costs of care and support and how people can plan to meet current and future costs. We have firmly committed to raising awareness of the care and support reforms within the Care Bill. To be successful, an awareness campaign needs to be delivered in partnership—national and local government working alongside the wider care sector. We are already working with partners to develop the right approach.

Arthritis: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of prescribing (a) tocilizumab and (b) other drugs for treatment of juvenile arthritis in each of the next three years.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such estimate.

Cancer: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by the NHS on drugs for cancer treatment in Bolton North East constituency in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 January 2014, Official Report, columns 197-8W.

Deloitte

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 138W, on Deloitte, 
	(1)  whether the correspondence from Peter Coates to Mike Turley of 19 January 2010 was filed;
	(2)  whether the correspondence from Peter Coates to Mike Turley of 19 January 2010 was used in internal investigations into his Department's relationship with Deloitte;
	(3)  if he will investigate why the correspondence from Peter Coates to Mike Turley of 19 January 2010 was not retained;
	(4)  if he will request from Deloitte a copy of the correspondence from Peter Coates to Mike Turley of 19 January 2010;
	(5)  whether his Department's policy is to retain all correspondence with officials in his Department.

Daniel Poulter: We are informed that no record of the correspondence between the Commercial Director (Peter Coates) and Mike Turley of Deloitte dated 19 January 2010 can be found in the Department's filing systems. The letter from Mike Turley of 5 February refers to the item as being a "note" which implies that it was not "correspondence" in the normal sense of the word.
	The correspondence from Mike Turley pre-dates the investigation referred to in the Health Select Committee hearing of 17 December 2013, and was seen by the official conducting the review referred to by Richard Douglas at the Committee hearing. The Department's policy on the retention of non-record papers is three years from the date they were last modified. Even if they were filed at the time, there would be no requirement for them to have been retained now.
	The Department will not be conducting further investigations into this matter, and does not propose to seek to recover a copy of the note from Deloitte.

Dental Services: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of people in Bolton who have access to an NHS dentist; and what steps he is taking to ensure that sufficient dentists are recruited to meet demand for NHS dental services in Bolton.

Daniel Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the written answers I gave him on 7 January 2014, Official Report, columns 198-99W.

Eyes: Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had on the potential use of proton beam therapy for treatment of eye cancer in the NHS.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no discussions on the use of proton beam therapy for treatment of eye cancer.
	Proton beam therapy for the treatment of patients with eye tumours has been available in the United Kingdom for a number of years at the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology. NHS England's service specification for Ocular Oncology set out how patients may be referred to the service if appropriate.

General Practitioners: Hampshire

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the per capita expenditure and size of each general practice in Hampshire was in each of the last four years.

Daniel Poulter: Information is not collected centrally on per capita spend. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the relevant clinical commissioning groups directly for this information. Information on the list size of each general practice (GP) in the former Hampshire primary care trust area is in the following table.
	
		
			 Total registered patients by practice in Hampshire PCT: 2009-12 
			 Number 
			   Patients 
			 Practice code  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 J8200S Rowlands Castle Surgery 3,715 3,770 3,843 3,880 
			 J82006 Gosport Medical Centre 7,993 8,090 8,237 8,505 
			 J82007 The Arnewood Practice Milton Medical Centre 12,896 13,045 13,135 13,235 
			 J82008 West End Surgery 7,481 7,529 7,572 7,615 
			 J82009 Emsworth Surgery 12,829 12,982 12,954 12,935 
			 J82010 The Bosmere Medical Practice 14,982 15,051 15,243 15,398 
			 J82012 Portchester Practice 8,515 8,476 8,535 8,580 
			 J82014 Havant Surgery 2,828 2,871 2,869 2,748 
			 J82015 Giffard Drive Surgery 7,841 7,888 8,103 8,286 
			 J82016 Stockbridge Surgery 8,733 8,773 8,807 8,730 
			 J82017 The Andover Health Centre Medical Practice 13,718 13,830 13,935 14,005 
			 J82018 Stokewood Surgery 13,735 13,764 13,812 13,833 
			 J82019 The Fryern Surgery 8,978 9,014 8,946 9,028 
			 J82020 Archers Practice 5,195 5,128 5,083 5,096 
			 J82021 Waterside Medical Practice 8,471 8,523 8,453 8,468 
			 J82023 The Whiteley Surgery 13,589 13,701 13,523 13,727 
			 J82025 Charlton Hill Surgery 9,826 9,902 10,103 10,333 
			 J82026 Centre Practice 14,517 14,402 14,125 14,155 
			 J82027 Liphook Village Surgery 5,309 5,458 5,489 5,542 
		
	
	
		
			 J82029 New Milton Health Centre 9,439 9,565 9,642 9,683 
			 J82030 Victoria Practice 7,950 8,186 8,416 8,379 
			 J82032 The Curlew Practice 4,013 4,042 3,949 3,880 
			 J82033 Gudgeheath Lane Surgery 8,303 8,365 8,379 8,369 
			 J82034 Wickham Surgery 11,437 11,542 11,495 11,613 
			 J8203S St Clements Partnership 16,182 16,568 16,696 16,909 
			 J82036 West Meon Surgery 2,541 2,547 2,504 2,495 
			 J82037 Waterbrook Medical Practice 9,288 9,262 9,223 9,044 
			 J82039 Ringwood Medical Centre 11,556 11,476 11,476 11,332 
			 J82041 The Staunton Surgery 7,794 7,880 7,929 7,932 
			 J82042 Badgerswood Surgery 10,749 11,022 11,377 11,713 
			 J82044 Jubilee Surgery 8,909 8,839 8,920 9,108 
			 J82046 Oakley and Overton Partnership 10,903 10,940 11,046 11,095 
			 J82049 Hartley Corner Medical Partnership 11,611 11,569 11,577 11,551 
			 J82050 St Paul's Practice 15,719 15,088 14,574 14,308 
			 J82051 Dr SJF Goodison and Partners 11,552 11,908 12,128 12,295 
			 J82052 The Oaklands Practice 10,649 10,622 10,666 10,591 
			 J82053 Adelaide Medical Centre 9,160 9,165 9,041 9,152 
			 J82D56 Red and Green Practice 25,257 25,092 24,907 24,944 
			 J82058 Bramblys Grange Medical Practice 11,599 11,753 11,838 11,971 
			 J82059 The Watercress Medical Group 7,610 7,439 7,389 7,366 
			 J82061 Odiham Health Centre 10,307 10,584 10,783 10,831 
			 J82063 Parkside Practice 11,497 11,667 11,802 11,686 
			 J82064 Bishops Waltham Surgery 12,584 12,721 12,800 12,856 
			 J82065 Camrose Medical Partnership 11,415 11,564 11,510 11,389 
			 J82066 Southlea Group Practice 14,434 14,550 14,563 14,414 
			 J82067 Milestone Surgery 10,955 11,206 11,258 11,233 
			 J82069 Gillies and Overbridge Medical Partnership 19,991 19,759 19,912 20,247 
			 J82071 St. Andrew's Surgery 7,576 7,812 8,042 8,269 
			 J82072 Forestside Medical Practice 10,703 10,798 10,824 10,802 
			 J82074 Alma Road Surgery 12,306 12,361 12,330 12,477 
			 J82075 Chawton House Surgery 6,867 6,906 6,967 7,031 
			 J82077 The Bermuda Practice 5,383 5,464 5,659 5,977 
			 J82079 Clift Surgery 5,276 5,565 5,818 6,030 
			 JS2082 Shepherds Spring Medical Centre 9,369 9,326 9,375 9,412 
			 J82083 Stoke Road Medical Centre 8,405 8,359 8,336 8,511 
			 J82084 Bury Road Surgery 4,772 4,655 4,530 4,377 
			 J82089 Hedge End Medical Centre 13,062 13,015 13,000 13,037 
			 J82093 Stakes Lodge Surgery 7,831 7,830 7,760 7,732 
			 J82094 Tadley Medical Partnership 19,845 19,870 19,832 19,892 
			 J82096 Marlowe Practice 7,495 7,423 7,402 7,137 
			 J82097 Totton Health Centre 12,296 12,182 12,059 11,937 
			 J82098 Swan Surgery 13,845 13,892 13,765 13,735 
			 J82099 Richmond Surgery 12,072 12,077 11,988 12,207 
			 J82100 Forton Medical Centre 11,238 10,948 10,645 10,335 
			 J82103 St Mary's Surgery 10,152 10,375 10,636 10,899 
			 J82104 Stubbington Medical Practice 13,480 13,421 13,327 13,441 
			 J82106 Gratton Surgery 6,782 6,696 6,714 6,666 
			 J82110 Fleet Medical Centre 14,718 14,536 14,493 14,692 
			 J82112 Forest Gate Surgery 12,903 13,015 13,096 13,144 
			 J82113 Waterside Medical Centre 11,251 11,313 11,524 11,779 
			 J82116 Twyford Surgery 9,461 9,445 9,513 9,603 
			 J82119 Denmead Health Centre 9,068 9,071 9,035 9,086 
			 J82120 Alexander House Surgery 9,155 9,287 9,480 9,558 
			 J82121 North Baddesley Surgery 6,910 6,920 6,861 6,799 
			 J82123 Hackwood Partnership 13,020 13,027 13,071 13,077 
			 J82124 Alresford Surgery 9,084 9,217 9,283 9,266 
			 J82125 Jenner House Surgery 9,924 9,867 9,978 10,124 
			 J82127 Brune Medical Centre 7,510 7,885 8,057 8,335 
			 J82129 New Forest Medical Group 7,372 7,392 7,393 7,536 
			 J82130 Friarsgate Practice 21,256 22,497 23,522 24,407 
			 J82131 Fordingbridge Surgery 12,724 12,795 12,710 12,695 
			 J82132 Testvale Surgery 12,993 13,024 13,025 12,997 
		
	
	
		
			 J82133 Brockhurst Medical Centre 4,447 4,396 4,415 4,371 
			 J82134 Forest End Surgery 11,341 11,439 11,626 11,757 
			 J82135 Branksomewood Healthcare Centre 11,931 12,151 12,372 12,596 
			 J82136 Chawton Park Surgery 9,214 9,381 9,426 9,485 
			 J82138 Hook and Hartley Wintney Medical Partnership 16,574 16,527 16,379 16,592 
			 J82139 Wistaria and Milford Surgeries 14,701 14,826 14,902 14,943 
			 J82142 The Border Practice 8,857 8,624 8,526 8,575 
			 J82143 Park Surgery 15,076 15,030 15,117 15,248 
			 J82144 Crown Heights Medical Centre 19,541 20,019 20,588 21,300 
			 J82145 Abbey Mead Surgery 9,050 9,006 9,028 8,991 
			 J82146 Lyndhurst Surgery 5,207 5,196 5,170 5,221 
			 J82147 The Clan Field Practice 7,380 7,469 7,498 7,516 
			 J82150 Cornerways Medical Centre 11,284 11,411 11,440 11,617 
			 J82151 Twin Oaks Medical Centre 4,004 4,004 4,011 4,059 
			 J82152 Bridgemary Medical Centre 8,496 8,537 8,476 8,537 
			 J82154 The Highlands Practice 15,887 15,991 16,119 16,235 
			 J82156 Waterfront And Solent Surgery 6,660 6,675 6,864 6,817 
			 J82157 Wilson Practice 13,743 13,729 13,624 13,738 
			 J82161 Westlands Medical Centre 10,112 10,171 10,221 10,272 
			 J82163 Cowplain Family Practice 6,811 7,796 7,735 8,120 
			 J82164 Liphook and Liss Surgery 9,705 9,892 10,001 10,194 
			 J82166 Barton Surgery 10,552 10,600 10,626 10,663 
			 J82167 Riverside Partnership 4,061 4,132 4,123 4,145 
			 J82169 Boyatt Wood Surgery 4,297 4,319 4,348 4,553 
			 J82174 Lockswood Surgery 13,362 13,807 14,142 14,017 
			 J82178 Princes Gardens Surgery 6,047 6,106 6,620 7,319 
			 J82181 Mayfield Medical Centre 8,612 8,912 9,045 8,987 
			 J82184 Pinehill Surgery 3,904 3,856 3,666 3,707 
			 J82186 Nightingale Surgery 9,363 9,398 9,510 9,611 
			 J82188 Bursledon Surgery 3,354 3,316 3,351 3,348 
			 J82190 The Brownhill Surgery 6,977 7,038 7,158 7,310 
			 J82192 St Lukes Surgery 10,745 11,106 11,432 11,728 
			 J82195 Southwood Practice 6,100 6,188 6,216 6,166 
			 J82196 The Homewell Practice 12,535 12,380 12,173 11,961 
			 J82197 Bentley Village Surgery 3,221 3,207 3,290 3,351 
			 J82198 The Wellington Practice 2,752 2,949 3,129 3,155 
			 J82201 The Grange Surgery 6,723 6,924 7,117 7,201 
			 J82206 Monteagle Surgery 5,806 5,848 5,936 5,955 
			 J82210 The Elms Practice 9,095 9,077 9,050 9,053 
			 J82214 Whitchurch Surgery 5,391 5,453 5,469 5,476 
			 J82215 Lee-On-The-Solent Health Centre 6,183 6,195 6,181 6,150 
			 J82216 Brook Lane Surgery 9,858 9,824 9,813 9,920 
			 J82218 Chineham Medical Practice 10,042 10,236 10,485 10,762 
			 J82219 Highview Surgery 1,355 1,318 1,088 765 
			 J82220 Rooksdown Practice 4,071 4,581 5,010 5,442 
			 J82609 Queenswood Surgery 4,147 4,218 4,230 4,232 
			 J82610 Daniel Practice 1,347 — — — 
			 J82620 Leighside Practice 2,317 2,343 2,354 2,376 
			 J82625 Boundaries Surgery 3,009 3,202 3,265 3,405 
			 J82628 Crondall New Surgery 3,493 3,608 3,754 3,893 
			 J82629 Derry Down Clinic 2,434 2,497 2,543 2,578 
			 J82630 North Camp Surgery 3,777 4,051 4,209 4,366 
			 J82633 Riverside Kelsey Surgery 1,913 1,861 1,826 1,793 
			 J82634 The Old Anchor Surgery 3,036 3,113 3,200 3,217 
			 J82639 Kingsclere Health Centre 5,610 5,622 5,593 5,583 
			 J82640 Horndean Surgery 4,464 4,470 4,528 4,561 
			 J82646 Park Lane Medical Centre 2,864 2,950 3,026 4,742 
			 J82647 East Barn Surgery 2,258 2,200 2,185 2,194 
			 J82648 Manor Way Surgery 4,498 4,549 4,646 4,822 
			 J82650 Middle Park Medical Centre 3,066 2,989 3,013 3,035 
			 J82657 Greywells Medical Centre 1,373 1,392 1,460 — 
			 J82669 Rowner Health Centre 6,599 6,698 6,759 6,780 
			 J82688 Beggarwood Surgery 5,520 5,866 6,007 6,237 
		
	
	
		
			 Y00134 Treloar School — — — — 
			 Y01281 The Village Surgery 4542 4555 4463 4388 
			 Y02776 Hampshire Healthcare Centre (Basingstoke) — 147 395 633 
			 Notes: 1. Data as at 30 September for each year. 2. ‘—denotes zero or not applicable 3. Figures are for those GP Practices that were in operation at the time of the relevant census. 4. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impart on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are hot changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Hospitals: North East

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent meetings his Department has had with representatives from the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust on financing for new hospital construction; what his Department's policy is on allowing such financing to proceed; and if he will make it his policy to implement the plan put forward by Lord Darzi of Denham regarding configuration of acute health care north of the Tees if funding for a new hospital cannot be secured.

Jane Ellison: The chief executive of the Trust, Alan Foster, and the Finance Director, Lynne Hodgson, met departmental officials in June last year to discuss progress with this scheme and officials are in regular contact with the Trust as part of the process of assessing the Trust's Outline Business Case. Meetings with Trust representatives are ongoing, most recently on 9 January this year.
	The Trust has submitted an Outline Business Case to the Department for a private finance funded scheme under HM Treasury's new ‘Private Finance 2’ procurement model (launched in 2012, this is the replacement for the Private Finance Initiative). The Trust is also seeking a public capital contribution. Departmental officials and Monitor are now reviewing the financial plans to establish whether the Trust has demonstrated robustly that it can afford its proposed scheme. Monitor's conclusions will inform the Department's consideration.
	The reconfiguration of health services is a matter for the national health service locally. The Momentum: “pathways to healthcare” reconfiguration programme, which includes proposals for changes to services at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, has been developed locally by the Trust, in liaison with local commissioners, to implement the recommendations made by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in 2006. The local NHS continues to work on plans to progress the Momentum programme.

Hospitals: Staff

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 245W, on hospitals: staff, what his policy is on cases where hospitals operate below the locally agreed minimum safe staffing level.

Daniel Poulter: The Government's response to the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry, “Hard Truths: The Journey to Putting Patients First”, set out the expectation that from April 2014, and by June 2014 at the latest, national health service trusts will publish ward-level information on whether they are meeting their staffing requirements and every six months trust boards will be required to undertake a detailed review of staffing using evidence based tools.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC), through its Chief Inspector of Hospitals, will monitor this performance and take action where non-compliance puts patients at risk of harm, and appropriate staffing levels will be a core element of the CQC's registration regime.
	Following the Francis Inquiry, the CQC introduced radical changes to hospital inspections, with a new chief inspector, Sir Mike Richards, leading significantly bigger inspection teams which are headed up by clinical and other experts. The new chief inspector will make authoritative judgments about the quality of care and recommend that action is taken when he identifies failing providers.

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the draft Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation minutes of 2 October 2013, which organisation or individual advised the Joint Committee to conduct an independent review of the health economic components of the cost-effectiveness evaluation of Bexsero; and on what grounds such advice was provided.

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) was advised to conduct an independent review of the health economic components of the cost-effectiveness evaluation of Bexsero by the meningococcal sub-committee of the JCVI following their meeting of 20 September 2013.
	On 24 July 2013, JCVI published an interim statement on the use of Bexsero® in the United Kingdom. A period of consultation followed and comments were invited and received from key stakeholders. Having considered information in the stakeholder submissions, the meningococcal sub-committee advised JCVI that a review of the cost-effectiveness evaluation of Bexsero® was appropriate.

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, following the publication of the draft Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation minutes of 2 October 2013, what the scope is of (a) the Joint Public Health England-JCVI-NICE-Department for Health working group, (b) membership and (c) timelines for reporting; and if he will ensure the deliberations and final advice of that group are made public.

Jane Ellison: The intention to establish a Joint Public Health England (PHE)-JCVI-NICE-Department of Health working group was stated in the draft Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) minutes of 2 October 2013. PHE and the Department are currently scoping the membership of this working group and proposals will be considered at the next JCVI meeting which will take place on 11 and 12 February 2014. Timelines for reporting and mechanisms for publicising appropriate aspects of the group’s deliberations will be considered at this time.

Meningitis

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases there were of (a) meningitis C in 1998 and (b) meningitis B in 2012.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England surveillance data indicate that there were (a) 815 laboratory confirmed cases of meningitis C in England and Wales in 1998 and (b) 611 laboratory confirmed cases of meningitis B in England and Wales in 2012.

Mental Health Services

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans the NHS has to record the ethnicity of patients who die while detained in mental health units; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people have died in each year since 2000 while detained or resident in (a) an NHS mental health unit and (b) any other mental health unit funded by the NHS.

Norman Lamb: Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 requires registered mental health providers to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about deaths of people detained or liable to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The statutory notification form includes a record of the person's ethnicity.
	Information on the number of people who have died in each year, while detained or resident in either a national health service or other mental health funded unit is not available for the full period in the format requested.
	However, the Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) on Deaths in Custody, part of the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody, has published data on deaths of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 between 2000 and 2011: “The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody: Statistical Analysis of all recorded deaths of individuals detained in state custody between 1 January 2000 and December 2011”.
	The report shows the number of deaths recorded for patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 between 2000 and 2011 as follows:
	
		
			  Number of deaths of detained patients 
			 2000 406 
			 2001 346 
			 2002 307 
			 2003 331 
			 2004 310 
			 2005 337 
			 2006 363 
			 2007 325 
			 2008 326 
			 2009 312 
			 2010 303 
			 2011 283 
			 Total 3,949 
			 Source: Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) 
		
	
	These figures include deaths of detained patients in any unit registered with the CQC to detain patients under the Mental Health Act 1983.
	Data on deaths of detained patients since 2011 will be published by the CQC later in January 2014.
	Data on deaths of mental health in-patients are available via data collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Secondary data analysis would be necessary to identify the deaths of voluntary patients.

Nervous System

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of disinvestment in spinal surgery by NHS trusts on neighbouring hospitals;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on health outcomes of patients classified as urgent facing above-average waiting times for spinal surgery; and what steps he is taking to mitigate adverse effects arising from such waiting times.

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no assessment of the effect of any changes in the level of spending on spinal surgery by national health service trusts on neighbouring hospitals and of the effect on health outcomes of patients classified as urgent facing above-average waiting times for surgery.
	All patients have the right to be treated within 18 weeks, and the NHS should take all reasonable steps to offer patients a range of alternative providers if this is not possible. Excessive waits for spinal surgery are unacceptable. Where there are excessive waits we would expect plans to be in place to resolve this.
	More than a million patients are treated each month and the vast majority of patients are continuing to receive treatment within the 18-week target. All the referral-to-treatment standards continue to be met at a national level.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it a criminal offence to suspend NHS staff for raising clinical concerns.

Daniel Poulter: This Government have no legislative plans to make it a criminal offence to suspend national health service staff for raising clinical concerns. Decisions regarding suspension of staff are made at a local level by the employing organisation.
	However it is absolutely critical that all staff working within the NHS feel able to speak up and raise concerns about patient safety and that NHS organisations take concerns seriously and act on them.
	We expect all NHS organisations to have in place whistleblowing policies that are compliant with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and best practice guidance. We have also made it clear to NHS organisations that they should have policies and procedures in place which support and encourage staff to raise legitimate concerns, and which actively promote the benefits of openness and transparency, driving up a safer NHS where patients can be confident of receiving high-quality care.
	The current legal protection available to whistleblowers is strong. We secured a Government amendment to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 to strengthen protections available to whistleblowers. We further enhanced these by amendments to the NHS Constitution, making it clear to NHS staff what their legal rights are and emphasising the responsibility placed on Trusts contracted to provide NHS services to respond through the pledge.

NHS: Minimum Wage

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) women and (b) men employed by the NHS in Bolton North East constituency receive wages at the national minimum rate.

Daniel Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 7 January 2014, Official Report, column 203W.

NHS: Standards

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure compassionate care in the NHS.

Jeremy Hunt: This Government are determined that care and compassion should be at the heart of everything the national health service does.
	Building on the lessons of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, we have introduced a rigorous new inspection regime with a predominant focus on care, and have taken a series of steps to drastically improve transparency and openness in the NHS.
	Under this Government, whistleblowers have been actively encouraged to speak out about poor care, and have been given increased protections rather than silenced.

Portman Group

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will publish the dates, agendas and minutes of any meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had with representatives of the Portman Group since May 2010;
	(2)  how many times Ministers and officials from his Department have met representatives of the Portman Group since May 2010.

Jane Ellison: Officials in the alcohol policy team meet drinks industry representatives on a regular basis in the course of their normal activities, primarily through the Responsibility Deal. Since May 2010 there have been approximately 77 meetings at which representatives of the Portman Group were present. This includes meetings with attendees from outside the industry, such as the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network.
	Details of ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-of-health&publication_type=transparency-data
	Details of the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network and Responsibility Deal Plenary group are publicly available on the Responsibility Deal website. This includes notes of the meetings.
	https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/alcohol-network-group-meeting-papers
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Publichealthresponsibilitydeal/Plenarygroup/DH_123047
	The Department will continue to publish such papers.

Respiratory System

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons respiratory health is not represented as a responsibility of any Minister in his Department in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities published in December 2013.

Jane Ellison: I am the Minister responsible for respiratory health.
	The List of Ministerial Responsibilities is intended to illustrate the areas each Minister covers. Given the large number of areas covered by each Minister, the list is not exhaustive.

Slaughterhouses: Horses

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which UK establishments are (a) licensed to slaughter horses and (b) currently slaughter horses.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency advises that the following slaughterhouses are approved to slaughter horses:
	2163-Peter Boddy, Todmorden
	4140-G & GB Hewitt Ltd, Chester
	8070-Philip Hayman, Ottery St Mary
	8231-Stillmans (Somerset) Ltd, Taunton
	The following slaughterhouses are currently slaughtering horses:
	2163-Peter Boddy, Todmorden
	8231-Stillmans (Somerset) Ltd, Taunton
	8070-Philip Hayman, Ottery St Mary
	Although horses have recently been slaughtered at 8070-Philip Hayman, Ottery St Mary, these were on an exceptional basis and not routinely slaughtered.

Slaughterhouses: Horses

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many horses were slaughtered in each licensed establishment in the UK in 2013.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency records the number of solipeds (a mammal having a single hoof on each foot, including horses, hinnies, mules and asses) slaughtered in the United Kingdom, the majority of which are horses.
	The total number of solipeds slaughtered in UK approved establishments in the period of January 2013 to November 2013 is 4,505. Complete figures are not currently available for December 2013. The number of horses slaughtered in each of the UK-approved establishments has not been provided as the release of this information is commercially sensitive.

Sugar

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on limiting the amount of sugar in food and drink.

Jane Ellison: We have challenged business, through our Responsibility Deal calorie reduction pledge, to take action to help people eat fewer calories. This can include helping reduce sugar consumption. 38 businesses are already taking action; for example, soft drinks manufacturers who are signed up to the calorie reduction pledge are reducing sugar in their drinks. Ministers and officials are continuing to engage with business to encourage greater sign up to the calorie reduction pledge along with other Responsibility Deal food pledges.
	The Government are also helping consumers to reduce their calorie intake by providing practical advice through NHS Choices and via Change4Life campaigns.

Surgical Dressings

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that wound dressings should be provided free of charge for patients in post-operative care who have been discharged from hospital.

Norman Lamb: There are no plans to change the current prescription charging arrangements for dressings supplied to patients in post-operative care who have been discharged from hospital.
	In 2010, responding to Professor Ian Gilmore's review into extending entitlement to free prescriptions to all those with a long-term condition, the Government made it clear that in the light of the challenging financial context, no changes would be made to the current list of exemptions. Prescription charges in England raise valuable income, in the region of £450 million each year, which helps the national health service to maintain vital services for patients.
	An extensive range of exemptions, based on age, income and medical condition, are already in place to support those who may struggle to pay for their prescriptions. Around 90% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge. Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPCs) are also available for those who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need multiple prescriptions. With the annual PPC, someone can obtain as many items as they need for £2 a week. The price of the annual certificate has now been frozen for the fourth successive year, and the three-month PPC has been frozen for two years.

Vaccination

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role his Department's analytical team plays in vaccine evaluations relating to cost-effectiveness which are undertaken by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Jane Ellison: The role of the Department's Health Protection Analytical Team (HPAT) in relation to the development of the Department's immunisation policy is to carry out and advise on operational and economic analysis, including cost-effectiveness analysis. HPAT also has a role in providing standard inputs into cost-effectiveness models, such as the cost of vaccine administration by general practitioners or schools, and in the quality control of external analyses. As part of these roles HPAT provides advice on disease modelling and health economics to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) at the request of the JCVI and the Department. In addition the team is involved in the evaluation of vaccine tenders in relation to cost-effectiveness and net health benefits. HPAT also provides assurance to the Departmental Chief Analyst and Economist (and thence to Ministers) of the quality of modelling, cost-effectiveness and other analysis used by the Department in immunisation policy development, including that considered by the JCVI.

Vaccination

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of lives saved following the introduction of the (a) maternal pertussis programme and (b) recent measles vaccination programme.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England collects surveillance data on diseases including pertussis and measles and monitors the uptake of routine vaccination programmes. Evaluation of the maternal pertussis vaccination programme introduced on 1 October 2012, in response to a high number of infant cases and deaths, suggests that it has been highly effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths due to pertussis in young infants. In 2012, there were 14 pertussis-related infant deaths and one infant death in 2013.
	The measles, mumps and rubella catch-up campaign for 10 to 16-year-olds was launched in April 2013 to prevent widespread measles outbreaks in England. Fortunately deaths from measles are extremely rare. Between 2008 and 2012, there was one measles-related death in England and Wales.

Vaccination

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to prevent an outbreak of meningococcal B meningitis and septicaemia in universities in the UK in the light of the emergency vaccination scheme set up at Princeton university after an outbreak there in late 2013.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England has published and regularly updates guidelines for the control of outbreaks of meningococcal disease (see: “Guidance for public health management of meningococcal disease in the UK”) and also provides advice through the “Green Book” (Immunisation against infectious disease). This guidance is informed by United Kingdom and global infectious disease surveillance data, epidemiological studies and expert opinion. Additional guidance for the specific prevention of invasive meningococcal capsular group B (MenB) disease has been developed and an interim version is available online. The final guidance
	will be published as soon as it has completed the internal approvals processes.
	Collectively, these documents provide detailed recommendations to prevent and control further cases of meningococcal disease following an outbreak in a university or any other educational setting. For MenB outbreaks, current recommendations include use of antibiotics and the recently-licensed MenB vaccine, Bexsero®, where appropriate.